By Kristel Satumbaga
Comeback queen.
That’s how they hailed top junior netter Alex Eala after the country’s newest star pulled off another remarkable come-from-behind win in the French Open in Paris Thursday (Manila time).
Given up for dead after being hammered in the first set, Eala rallied mightily to beat Linda Noskova of Czech Republic, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, and book a semifinal berth.
The second-seeded Eala had to dig deep into her vast repertoire of shots to prevail in almost two hours of action.
She highlighted her win by breaking her rival 9 times — thanks to her whistling shots.
The feat made Eala the first Filipina to make it to the Grand Slam semifinals, matching Felix Barrientos’ accomplishment in 1985 at the Wimbledon Juniors.
It also assured Eala a new career-high ranking at the International Tennis Federation juniors after entering the tournament at No. 4.
Eala, 15, will battle third seed Elsa Jacquemot of France, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over 10th pick Kristina Dmitruk of Belarus.
