By MARK REY MONTEJO
When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.
Alex Eala found ways to survive a determined Belgian foe after carving out a hard-earned 7-6(5), 6-7 (3), 7-5 victory over Greet Minnen to secure her quarterfinal ticket in the Suzhou WTA 125 tournament in China Wednesday, Oct. 1.
Eala, 20, saw herself on a roller-coaster ride from start to finish, particularly in the deciding set where the fourth seed Filipina overcame a nip-and-tuck affair with Minnen after pulling away from a 5-5 deadlock by taking the next two games.
Eala squandered three match points before putting the nail in the coffin in the third set to wrap up their 3-hour, 21-minute Round-of-16 clash.
Eala’s win set her up with a quarterfinal showdown against Swiss Viktorija Golubic, who essayed a 6-2, 6-0 win against Czech Linda Fruhvirtova.
This will be the first meeting between Eala (WTA No. 58) and Golubic (70) in the professional circuit.
Eala showed composure and forced a tiebreak after climbing back from a 0-3 disadvantage in the first set.
The match got tighter in the following frame but Minnen got the upperhand in yet another tiebreak to set up an extension.
In the third, Eala brushed off several errors and delivered when it mattered most, cruising through a 5-5 deadlock for two straight games to seal her victory.
