Despite her early exit in singles, Alex Eala is making big strides in women’s doubles in Guangzhou.
Alex Eala and Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok dug deep to complete a two-set sweep of foes Polina Kudermetova and Kamilla Rakhimova, 6-3, 7-5, to march on to the semifinals of the Guanzhou Open in China on Friday.
Eala and Kichenok fell behind in the second set as the Russian duo looked poised to force a deciding third set when they took the 5-4 lead.
But Eala and Kichenok were not to be denied momentum when they held their serve in the next game to tie the set at 5-all and create some breathing room against Kudermetova and Rakhimova.
Then, Eala and partner scored a crucial break against their foes with a breezy Game 11 win to seize the 6-5 lead.
They were not to be denied with an unanswered run after going down 0-15, to start the 12th game of Set 2.
Eala and Kichenok will face the winner between 1-seed Elena Pridankina and Quinn Gleason and Katarzyna Piter and Janice Tjen in the quarterfinals.
Eala, who has shown her prowess in doubles earlier on in her career, especially during her junior days, is seeking her first WTA title in women’s doubles.
The 20-year-old is vying for redemption in the China tournament after another early exit in singles.
She was dumped out of the Round of 32 by qualifier Claire Liu in three sets earlier this week.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.