Alex Eala off to winning start in last chance at 2024 Grand Slam main draw

MANILA, Philippines – One down. Two more wins to go to make history. 

Alex Eala overcame a letdown in the second set to pull off a 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 victory over Maddison Inglis of Australia in the first round of the 2024 US Open qualifiers on Tuesday, August 20 (Wednesday, August 21, Manila time).

Eala hopes to turn things around this time after coming close twice this year to becoming the first Filipina to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam, losing only in the last round of the qualifiers in both the French Open and Wimbledon.

The 19-year-old Eala was at her best in the third set against Inglis, finishing it in just 32 minutes as she raced to a 5-0 lead after breaking her 26-year-old foe twice and never facing break point. 

By the time the former world No. 112 Australian held serve in the sixth game to get on the scoreboard, the match was practically over with Eala closing out at 40-15 on her serve in the seventh.

Eala was keen on sending a strong message to Inglis from the get-go, with the Filipina immediately opening a 3-0 advantage in the first set. 

Inglis, who reached the third round of the 2022 Australian Open, tried to fight back but the closest she got was at 5-3. Eala then finished off the set in 44 minutes in the ninth game, 6-3

The world No.144 Eala, though, appeared to have run into a glitch in the second set. She lost her serve twice to trail at 4-0 before making the scoreline a bit respectable by earning two games, but still fell in eight games, 6-2.

After wrapping it up convincingly in the third set, Eala heads into the second round of the qualifiers where the Filipina teen standout could face her biggest test. 

Eala will be up against world No. 99 Nuria Párrizas Díaz of Spain, the highest seed in her part of the qualifying draw.  

Párrizas Díaz, the Spaniard who has played multiple times in all four Grand Slam events, has reached the third round of the Australian Open twice. 

Th 33-year-old veteran held a career-high world ranking of 44th and owned wins over current world No. 23 and former French Open semifinalist Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil and former world No. 21 Anastasia Potapova of Russia.

Eala and Párrizas Díaz both played in the ITF W100 Cary Tennis Classic last week in North Carolina where they went up against a common opponent. 

The Filipina got ousted in the quarterfinal by Renata Zarazua of Mexico, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, while Párrizas Díaz defeated Zarazua in the final, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(2), for her third title this year.

The winner of the Eala-Párrizas Díaz will advance to the last round of the qualifiers against the winner of the match between world No. 209 Ma Xeyin of China and world No. 23 Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania. – Rappler.com