After US Open heartbreak, Alex Eala scores big comeback win in Mexico

MANILA, Philippines – The quest for international glory continues for Alex Eala, bringing her this week to Mexico where she was off to a winning start, but not before needing to stage a monumental fight back to pull off an escape act.

The 19-year-old Eala found herself a foot away from the exit door before rallying to pull the rug from under Victoria Hu of the United States, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4, on Monday, September 2 (Tuesday, September 3, Manila time) in the opening round of the WTA 2024 Guadalajara 125 Open.

A week removed from suffering another Grand Slam heartbreak when she fell in the last qualifying round of the US Open, Eala began the match against the former NCAA All-American from Princeton University in sluggish form, and found herself in a deep hole which appeared too deep to dig herself out of.

After claiming the first set in just 46 minutes, Hu looked poised to end the match quickly as she built a 4-0 lead in the second set. Fortunately, Eala stirred just in time out of her stupor by pocketing the next three games to position herself back in contention.

The 22-year-old Hu, winner of back-to-back ITF singles titles in the Dominican Republic in May and June, had her chances to advance to the second round when she went up 5-3, then 6-5.

In both instances, Eala worked in earnest to tie the count and extend the set to a tiebreak which she eventually ran away with, 7-2.

Eala carried over the momentum to the third set, the difference of which was the service break the Filipina teen standout gained in the fifth game, allowing her to wrest the advantage at 3-2.

She then held serve in the sixth to open her biggest lead of the match which she made sure not to relinquish. Eala closed out in the 10th to secure the two-hour, 40-minute win at the Centro Panamericano de Tenis in Zapopan, Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, Mexico.

Eala was looking for a big bounce back in Guadalajara after finding herself outside the top 150 in the world rankings after her US Open campaign.

Now 153rd in the world, the Filipina teen will need to brace herself for a tougher challenge in the second round against fourth seed and world No. 99 Tatjana Maria of Germany.

The 37-year-old Maria, a 2022 Wimbledon semifinalist who just last week made the US Open second round, prevailed in the first round over former world No. 84 Kayla Day of the United States.

Eala will need to be at her absolute best against an opponent she has never yet beaten. Eala and Maria faced off three times in WTA tournaments in 2023, with the German winning all three matches in straight sets. – Rappler.com