Alex Eala scored a sensational upset of WTA world no. 8 Jasmine Paolini, surviving their second round encounter in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Alex the great giant slayer is back.
Alex Eala played her best match of the year, stunning WTA world no. 8 Jasmine Paolini, 6-1, 7-6(5), in the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships early Wednesday morning (PH time).
With the sensational upset, Eala improved her record against WTA top-10 players to 3-2 — beating the Italian star in her first match against a top-10 player since losing to Iga Swiatek at the Madrid Open last year.
The 20-year-old Filipina showed fine form in her serve, which she exploited to claim a lopsided opening frame, 6-1.
Eala rode the energy of a pro-Filipino crowd in Dubai as frustration crept in for the Italian, especially in the second set.
Paolini struggled with her service game and committed a number of costly errors, only adding fuel to the crowd’s support for Eala.
A key point in the second set saw Paolini give up advantage in the third game after a double fault, opening the door for Eala to break her serve and seize early momentum again with the 2-1 lead.
Paolini turned things around though, saving three match points in the ninth game and later taking a 6-5 lead. But Eala stood firm, saving two set points herself to force a tiebreak.
The tiebreak was tense as well, and the crucial moment came when Eala won a point off of Paolini's serve for a 5-4 lead. The Filipina then cashed in on her fifth match point to complete the upset, 7-5.
Eala will now march on to the Round of 16, where she faces 35-year-old Sorana Cirstea of Romania.
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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.