Eala rallies to beat Dunne, advances to W25 Aldershot finals
ALEX Eala moved on the cusp of her second title in as many weeks.
With a steely resolve, the Filipina netter carved out a 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 come-from-behind win over local bet Katy Dunne of Great Britain to charge into the Last Dance of the W25 Aldershot in Hampshire, England.
Ms. Eala bucked a dismal start, 1-6, by clawing back from two games down in the extended second set to force a rubber match where she just flashed her brilliance behind a searing counter-attacking display.
The 18-year-old lefty erased a 3-5 deficit with a 3-1 rally capped by breaking Ms. Dunne’s serve in the 12th game to tie it 6-all and dragged the second-set duel to a tiebreaker.
There, Ms. Eala fired four unanswered points midway through the battle to take a 6-4 win.
Ms. Eala was not to be stopped from there on, racing to a 2-0 lead in the clincher as she broke a bevy of Ms. Dunne’s services anew punctuated by a near sweep in the ninth game for the gritty win in two hours and 38 minutes.
Ms. Eala previously drubbed American Jenna DeFalco, 6-1, 6-2, Australian Talia Gibson, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, and home bet Ranah Akua Stoiber, 6-2, 6-4.
The No. 3 seed Ms. Eala will face a familiar foe in Australia’s Destanee Aiava, her doubles partner in the W25 Roehampton where she won the singles division for her fourth pro title last week in London.
Ms. Aiava, the No. 6 seed, also essayed a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 reserve sweep of Georgia’s Mariam Bolkvadze in the other semis pairing.
Ms. Eala’s finals appearance in the Aldershot singles atoned for a semifinal exit in the doubles play with Polish partner Urszula Radwanska. — John Bryan Ulanday