By MARK REY MONTEJO
Many doubted Alex Eala’s 0-6, 6-2, 3-2 (ret.) win over former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia the other day.
On late Thursday night, June 26, Eala, getting hotter each day, put to shame those nonbelievers with a rousing 6-1, 6-2 win over Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska to enter the semifinals of the WTA 250 Lexus Eastbourne Open in Great Britain.
Playing on a windy condition, the 20-year-old Eala remained locked in and unleashed her A-game by forcing the hard-hitting Yastremska into several errors to win their quarterfinal clash in breezy fashion.
With her brute strength and brilliant groundstrokes, Eala needed less than an hour to wrap up the match.
This would be Eala’s first semifinal appearance in a WTA-sanctioned grasscourt tournament and her second semis this year after a historic Miami Open stint last March where she bested the likes of Iga Swiatek. Madison Keys, and Ostapenko.
The 25-year-old Ukrainian couldn’t find her groove as the Filipina
spectacularly from start to finish – a form she hopes to sustain when she plunges into the Wimbledon action later this month.
The victory set up Eala a semis date with Russia-born French and world’s No. 111 Varvara Gracheva.
Gracheva advanced to the semis via walkover as her opponent Czech Barbora Krejčíková, the Wimbledon reigning champion, withdrew in their quarters clash due to a right thigh injury.
It was evident that the breezy weather affected the performance of Yastremska, who was a runner up to American McCartney Kessler in the Nottingham Open.
And the world No. 74 Eala took advantage of that – not to mention firing howitzers from every conceivable angle that left the No. 42 Yastremska shaking her head in bewilderment.
