By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala stormed back from a 1-5 second-set deficit to oust defending champion Leylah Fernandez, 6-2, 7-6 (1), and book a quarterfinal berth at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington D.C. early Thursday, July 30 (Philippine time).
The unseeded Filipina dug deep against the seventh seed and 2021 US Open finalist, reeling off five straight games after trailing 1-5 in the second set to seize a 6-5 lead before Fernandez forced a tiebreak.
But Eala refused to let the momentum slip, dominating the tiebreak to complete the upset win.
The victory set up the world No. 28 Filipina a duel with the winner between second seed Elina Svitolina and Polina Kudermetova.
Eala was in complete control in the opening set, holding serve throughout while capitalizing on Fernandez’s erratic play. The Canadian committed 14 unforced errors, allowing the Filipina to take the set with ease.
Fernandez, the world No. 34, responded strongly in the second set, racing to a 5-1 lead that put her on the doorstep of extending the match to a deciding third set.
But Eala was not done yet as the Filipina mounted another remarkable comeback to prevail much to the delight of the crowd mostly cheering for Eala.
