By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala reaffirmed her mastery over world No. 10 Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 6-4, and set up a mouth-watering semis showdown with Japanese ace Naomi Osaka in the Mubadala DC Open in Washington D.C. on Saturday, Aug. 1 (Philippine time).
The Filipina ace neutralized the Ukrainian veteran’s powerful serve, breaking the multiple Grand Slam semifinalist six times in the one-hour, 34-minute match to move within two wins of capturing the WTA 500 crown.
The victory marked Eala’s second straight triumph over Svitolina.
Their first meeting came in the quarterfinals of the Berlin Open last June, where the Filipina also prevailed in straight sets.
Eala and Svitolina traded service breaks through the opening five games before the Filipina finally held serve in the sixth to build a 4-2 advantage. Her confidence further boosted, Eala dictated the pace the rest of the way and closed out the opening set in convincing fashion.
Svitolina, a former world No. 3 and owner of 20 WTA Tour singles titles, raised her level in the second set by racing to 2-1 and 3-2 leads. But Eala stayed composed, patiently working her way back before delivering the decisive break in the 10th game to seal the match victory.
But against Osaka, Eala needs to produce another extraordinary game to have a fair chance of winning.
The third-seeded Osaka is a proud winner of four Grand Slam titles. She advanced to the semis after rallying past Elisabetta Cocciaretto, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Of course, Eala is aware of the task waiting for her.
“She is of course an accomplished player and I think she’s made waves on and off the court for so many reasons and there’s so much respect for that. I’m really excited,” said Eala of Osaka during the on-court interview moments after her victory.
“I haven’t had that much time to think about it but of course, I’m going to think about it,” she added.
