By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala may have bowed out early at the Wimbledon Championships, but even her opponent, defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, acknowledged the great promise of the young Filipina tennis star.
In a post-match interview, the 17th-seeded Czech veteran praised Eala’s grit and composure during their two-hour, 10-minute showdown at Centre Court, played before a packed crowd that included A-list celebrities and prominent figures.
“I would like to start by giving credit to Alex. I mean, what the hell she played in the first set,” Krejcikova, a two-time Grand Slam champion said.
“She was smashing the ball, cleaning the line. Wow, it’s the next generation coming,” she added.
Krejcikova advanced to the second round but not before bucking an opening set loss and overcoming Eala, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, on Tuesday, July 1.
The 29-year-old multiple Grand Slam doubles champion started slowly, making 19 unforced errors in the first set before making amends. And that was it as she made only 18 the rest of the way.
She also struggled with her serves early, issuing five double faults against just two aces in the first set. Krejcikova regained her fiery form at the start of the second, turning aggressive with her forehands and tallying 10 winners off that wing.
Relying on her experience in the final two sets, Krejcikova dropped serve only once to regain full control of the match.
In contrast, Eala struggled with consistency, committing 22 unforced errors in the last two sets.
Despite the loss, Krejcikova sees a bright future for the 20-year-old Filipina, who had little time to recover after finishing runner-up at the Lexus Eastbourne Open over the weekend.
“She’s gonna come up. She’s gonna be really good in the couple of years,” said the Czech, whose victory sets up a second-round clash with unseeded Caroline Dolehide, a 6-2, 6-2 winner over Dutch Arantxa Rus.
As for Eala, she received a warm round of applause from the crowd as she exited the court, with commentators noting that this would not be the last time the Filipina star graces the iconic grass courts of Wimbledon.
Even the Rafa Nadal Academy, where Eala trains, showered her with praises on social media.
“Today, London has met you, @alex.eala. And it will be a relationship for many, many years to come! VAMOS!” the post read.
