MANILA, Philippines – For the third time this year, Alex Eala moved just one win away from making history and earning a chance to face the best players in the world.
Eala displayed exceptional form all match long as she pulled off a stunning 7-5, 7-5 victory over world No. 99 Nuria Párrizas Díaz of Spain in the second round of the US Open qualifiers on Wednesday, August 21 (Thursday, August 22, Philippine time).
Tipped as a clear underdog, the world No. 144 Eala faced a Spanish foe who held an 11-match winning streak and held the highest seed in their side of the qualifying draw.
The 33-year-old Párrizas Díaz also just came off back-to-back title conquests in ITF W100 events, emerging champion of the World Tennis Tour Gran Canaria in Spain last August 5, then copping the Cary Tennis Classic in North Carolina last August 18 — the tournament where Eala got eliminated in the quarterfinals.
But the Spaniard found herself on the backfoot against a determined Filipina teen who came out swinging for the fences.
By pulling off the upset win, Eala inched closer to becoming the first Filipina to enter the main draw of a Grand Slam event.
The 19-year-old came close earlier this year during the French Open and Wimbledon, but fell in the last qualifying match of both tournaments.
Eala and Párrizas Díaz exchanged service breaks twice in the first 10 games of the opening set, which remained deadlocked at 5-5.
The Filipina then created some separation by breaking serve a third time in the 11th game to seize the lead before closing out in the 12th to bag the first set.
Just like a sequel to the opener, the second set saw the two combatants engage in a close-quarter battle. From an even count at 4-4, Eala appeared to have gained a breakthrough when she garnered the first service break of the set in the ninth.
Párrizas Díaz — a veteran of all Grand Slam events who has reached the third round of the Australian Open twice — proved she could dish out as much as she could take, breaking Eala in the 10th to tie the count one last time at 5-5.
Eala would then close out the match which lasted an hour and 49 minutes when she clinched the last two games to advance to the final round of the qualifiers.
But the 5-foot-9 Eala will be in for another tough matchup as 26-year-old Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania awaits her in the final battle for a spot in the main draw.
While Eala has had to grind it out thus far — prevailing in three sets in the opening round over Maddison Inglis of Australia before surviving Párrizas Díaz in a tight duel — Ruse has cruised through the first two rounds of the qualifiers.
Currently ranked 123rd in the world, the Romanian demolished Antonia Ruzic of Croatia, 6-2, 6-2, then followed it up by blasting Ma Yexin of China, 6-3, 6-3.
Ruse, who even climbed to No. 51 in 2022, advanced to the second round of the Australian Open and the US Open that same year. She has also reached the main draw of Wimbledon four times and the French Open once. – Rappler.com
