By MARK REY MONTEJO
Country’s tennis star Alex Eala displayed early brilliance and a composure of a grizzled veteran before yielding to world No. 2 and two-time Grand Slam champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, 4-6, 3-6, in the third round of the WTA 1000 Italian Open in Rome Sunday, May 10.
Eala, 20, seemed headed to claiming another big fish with her serve and volley game working to near perfection in the opening game but was undone in the extended third set that was marked by an intense back-and-forth duel until Rybakina produced one lethal shot after another to get the much-needed break.
Though she was down 1-3, Eala refused to roll over and die easily as she came through with laser-like shots to make the game interesting.
Playing at Pietrangeli court twice, Eala moved to BNP Paribas Arena where a flock of Filipino fans gathered, including two-time Olympic pole vaulter EJ Obiena to lend their support to the rising star who had given Rybakina a scare in their one-hour, 32-minute duel.
Despite Eala’s gallant effort and the support of Obiena and other Filipinos, Rybakina proved too much to contain.
With her victory, Rybakina, the 2023 edition champion, arranges a Round of 32 clash with either German Laura Siegemund or former world No. 1 Czech Karolina Pliskova.
It was a commendable showing for the Filipina netter, who is currently ranked No. 42, after besting her previous stints, including a first-round exit in the WTA 1000 Mutua Madrid Open in Spain.
This marked the first-ever encounter between Eala and Rybakina – two of the hottest Asian campaigners in the WTA circuit.
Prior to her exit, Eala got the better of Polish veteran Magdalena Frech, 6-0, 3-6, 6-4, in the opening round then followed it up with a redemption victory over Chinese Xinyu Wang with 6-4, 6-3 decision in Round of 64.,
Eala used the event to finetune for this year’s French Open slated May 24 to June 7 in Paris.
