MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(5), on Thursday (Philippine time) to advance to the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Open at the International Tennis Centre in Zayed Sports City.
Eala recovered from a 4-0 deficit in the third set and reached match point at 6-5 before Sasnovich forced a tiebreak. The Filipino secured the win after Sasnovich committed errors that set up match point, then delivered the game-winning shot to complete the three-hour match.
“I’m so happy. I can’t believe it,” Eala said after the match. “Grabe! Napasubok talaga yung tibay ng dibdib ko at sigurado ako na kayo din kaya congrats mga kababayan. Maraming salamat po.”
“I just think these moments are moments I only dreamed about. Selling out the stadium is insane. These matches in particular are just really the ones that kind of stick with you,” she added.
The 20-year-old Eala won the opening game, but Sasnovich responded by claiming six of the final seven games to take the first set. Eala won the second set in a close contest to force a deciding set.
“I think she started really well in the tight moments. I think she also stepped up, especially with the serve and a lot of winners,” Eala said of Sasnovich, a qualifier who defeated No. 8 Paula Badosa, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, in the previous round.
“I really tried my best in those moments to fight. I really tried to find the fight. And in the end, when I was coming back, I was able to find it, so I’m really proud of that. And, once again, the crowd is very proud of that fight as well,” she said.
Eala is also scheduled to compete in the doubles quarterfinal with Janice Tjen against Cristina Bucsa and Zhang Shuai on Thursday evening. The pair advanced after defeating Canada’s Leylah Fernandez and France’s Kristina Mladenovic, 7-5, 3-6, 10-6, on Wednesday.
