Alexandra Eala "tried to find the fight," and did, in epic Abu Dhabi comeback
In front of a jam-packed stadium chanting her name, Eala rallied from 4-0 and 5-2 third-set deficit, and saved a match point, to defeat Aliaksandra Sasnovich and reach the quarterfinals.
Staring down a 4-0 final-set deficit against lucky loser Aliaksandra Sasnovich at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open on Wednesday, Alexandra Eala "tried to find the fight."
She did that, and more, in a stunning second-round comeback that sent a sold-out crowd at the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex into a frenzy.
In two hours and 51 minutes, the 20-year-old Filipina rallied not just from 4-0 behind, but staved off eliminated when Sasnovich double-faulted on match point when she was ahead 5-2. That was the opening the left-hander needed to come all the way back, top the 31-year-old veteran in a final-set tiebreaker, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(5), and advance to her second quarterfinal in the first month of the season.
A stunned and breathless Eala, who had lost five of her last six three-setters dating back to a win over Clara Tauson at the US Open in August where she came from 5-1 down in the decider to win, could barely contain her emotions as she was interviewed by 2016 Olympic champion Monica Puig after the match.
"I just think these moments are moments I only have dreamed about," she said, as the jam-packed stadium chanted her name. "Selling out stadiums, it's insane. Being in these matches in particular are really the ones that stick with you, and I've had a lot of them in the past year."
Read more: Alexandra Eala strikes SEA Games gold at Bangkok 40 years after her mom won bronze there
Eala previously trailed by a set and a break at 6-2, 1-0, and also saved a break point serving at 5-5 in the decider. In the end, Sasnovich struck 16 more winners (38 to 22), had a better break point conversion percentage (6-of-11 to 5-to-17), and won more overall points (121 to 111). But the points that mattered most were the last three of the tiebreaker, which Eala won in succession after Sasnovich again had the match on her racquet.
"I think she started really well and in the tight moments, she also stepped up, especially with the serve and a lot of winners," Eala added. "I really tried my best in those moments ... to find the fight, and in the end, when I was coming back, I found it, so I'm very proud of that."
Eala has now reached a quarterfinal or better at all three tiers of WTA tour-level events. After her breakthrough WTA 1000 semifinal effort in Miami last spring, she reached her first career WTA final at the 250-level tournament in Eastbourne last June, where she finished as runner-up after holding four championship points, and was also a semifinalist at the WTA 250 in Auckland to start the year.
In the last eight, she will face No. 2 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.