Alex Eala overcame a tough challenge from Dayana Yastremska as the Filipina Tennis ace gets a victorious start at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Alex Eala held steadfast in three blockbuster sets to outlast Dayana Yastremska, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Saturday (PH time).
Making her debut at this WTA 1000 tournament, Eala had to rally late after finding herself trailing in the third set, 4-5.
With her back against the wall, Eala broke Yastremska's serve for a crucial break point, then aced her own service game to seize the lead, 6-5.
The winning game didn’t come easy though, as Eala had to go through six deuces and four match points before sealing the deal.
With the victory, Eala moves on to the third round in a rematch against world no. 4 Coco Cauff.
Eala matched up with Gauff in the quafterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championship, with the American star winning, 6-0, 6-2.
But before that, Eala also plays doubles on Sunday (PH time) with Iva Jovic, taking on Jelena Ostapenko and Hailey Baptiste.
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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.