Filipina tennis star Alex Eala survived a dangerous second-set collapse and mounted a fierce fightback to beat Russia’s Alina Charaeva, 6-2, 7-5, and barge into the quarterfinals of the WTA 125 Lexus Birmingham Open in England.
Eala looked sharp and commanding early, breaking Charaeva right in the opening game as the Russian struggled with two double faults. The 21-year-old Filipina kept her poise from there, stayed steady on serve, and converted on her fifth set point to seize the opener, 6-2.
But the match suddenly turned sour and tense in the second set.
Charaeva changed the pace with a variety of superb slices, magnificent drop shots, and heavier groundstrokes, using the slick grass surface to keep the ball low and fast. The 24-year-old Russian then stormed to a 5-2 lead, threatening to drag the match into a deciding set.
But Eala proved she is a tough nut to crack.
The Filipino ace adjusted accordingly and produced a stunning late surge by winning five straight games to erase the deficit and close out the Round of 16 battle in one hour and 40 minutes.
The victory also cemented Eala’s domination of Charaeva, whom she defeated in January, 6-1, 6-2, in the opening round of the maiden WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open this year.
Eala now moves into a fiery all-Southeast Asian quarterfinal clash against Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew, who advanced after a 6-4, 6-1 win over American Kayla Day.
The impending showdown carries a dramatic edge. Sawangkaew was the same hometown bet Eala crushed, 6-1, 6-2, in the women’s singles final of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand last December, a golden victory that ended the Philippines’ 26-year title drought in the event.
But Sawangkaew has her own score to protect on the professional circuit, having defeated Eala, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, in the quarterfinals of the ITF W100 Takasaki International Open in Japan.
But that was nearly two years ago, and things are a lot different now with Eala, though most likely even with Sawangkaew.