Eala defeats France’s Ponchet in Wimbledon qualifying draw

ALEX EALA squeaked past Jessika Ponchet of France, 7-6(1), 6-4, to pass her first test in the 2024 Wimbledon qualifying draw late Tuesday night in London.

The Filipina ace recovered from a near meltdown in the extended first set before taking care of business in the second to seal the deal and bolster her chance for a  breakthrough main draw ticket in yet another Grand Slam tourney.

Ms. Eala fell one win short from achieving the feat with a qualifying final stint in the French Open last month but made sure to prove her worth on grass court this time around.

The unseeded Ms. Eala raced to a 4-1 lead in the first but allowed a tiebreaker where she proved the steadier bet even against the 27-year-old and WTA No. 133 French standout, whom she had already faced four times with only a win to show.

There was no stopping the 19-year-old Ms. Eala from there on, banking on a 3-1 start anew for the win that set her up for a second-round duel against the 26-year-old Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia.

Ms. Zidansek, who is seeded No. 14 in the qualifiers and sits way higher than Ms. Eala in the WTA rankings at No. 110, pulled off a comeback win against China’s Xiaodi Yu, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.

Ms. Eala is at No.162, up seven spots folllowing a gallant quarterfinal finish last week in the Veneto Open in Italy. — John Bryan Ulanday