Eala books first win in US Open qualifier
ALEX EALA did not disappoint in her US Open women’s pro debut, carving out a 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 win against Australia’s Maddison Inglis in the first round of the qualifying draw yesterday in New York.
A former US Open junior champion, Ms. Eala proved that she belongs on the big stage by fending off the 26-year-old Aussie, Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) No. 180, in two hours and three minutes.
Ms. Eala’s lethal counter attacks spelled the difference, forcing Ms. Inglis to 10 errors in the match to earn a three-setter triumph and move two wins away from a historic main draw ticket in any Grand Slam tourney after two straight foiled attempts.
The 19-year-old Filipina sensation previously barged into the finals of the French Open and Wimbledon.
But in each occasion, she fell prey in the finale — a 6-4, 6(3)-7, 4-6 loss against Argentina’s Julia Riera in the Roland Garros final and a 6(3)-7, 5-7 defeat against New Zealand’s Lulu Sun in Wimbledon — with hopes of flipping the script this time around.
Ms. Eala will try to zero in on that bid by going up Thursday against the 33-year-old Nuria Parrizas Diaz of Spain, the No. 15 seed in the qualifiers and the No. 99 in the WTA. Parrizas Diaz came off a 7-6(6), 2-6, 6-4 win against Julia Avdeeva of Russia in the opening round.
A win by Ms. Eala would arrange a final duel against either Romania’s Ruse Elena-Gabriela or China’s Ma Ye-Xin in the final round.
Ms. Eala in 2022 bagged the US Open girls’ singles crown to become the first ever Filipino champion in a junior Grand Slam event.
In the pros, she’ll be out to achieve the same. — John Bryan Ulanday
