By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala barged into the semifinals of the W60 Nantes International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament after her third-seeded French rival Leolia Jeanjean retired in their quarterfinals match on Thursday, Nov. 2, in France.
The unseeded Eala prevailed, 6-4, 2-0 (ret.) after having to crawl back from a 4-1 deficit in the first set before the 28-year-old Jeanjean retired in the second frame.
Eala’s win booked her a semis meeting with Gabriela Knutson of the Czech Republic, who bounced back from an opening set loss to outplay Great Britain’s Yuriko Lily Miyazaki, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1.
Hometown bets Oceane Dodin and Elsa Jacquemot clash in the other semis match after sweeping their respective foes.
The top-seeded Dodin bested fellow Frenchwoman Harmony Tan, 6-4, 6-4, while Jacquemot downed fourth seed Polina Kudermetova, 7-6 (2), 6-2.
Against Knutson, Eala has a lower ranking at No. 193 compared to the Czech’s 179.
Knutson is also coming off a title win in the W40 Quinta do Lago in Portugal last month – her fourth this year.
Eala, for her part, is gunning for her fifth singles title after toppingt the W25 Roehampton in Great Britain last August.
