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Alex Eala defeats a top 10 player for the second time in a row beating world number 8 Elina Svitolina to continue her incredible run at the Berlin Tennis Open
MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala He has shown great improvement on grass and it shows in the level of opposition he has beaten this year.
Eala claimed another top 10 victim to reach the semifinals of the Berlin Tennis Open in Germany, with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over world No. 8 Elina Svitolina at the Steffi Graf Stadion on Friday, June 19 (Saturday, June 20, Manila time).
Confidence after wonderful world no. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the previous round, 21-year-old Eala continued her magical run at the WTA 500 tournament with another upset of a formidable opponent who has won two titles this year.
“I think I’m getting better. I hope I’m getting better. Of course, facing this kind of level more often pushes you to your limit and forces you to show what you’ve got,” Eala said.
“Some weeks are better than others and I’m having a lot of fun this week, so thanks everyone for coming along for the ride.”
Eala reached the semi-finals for the third time this year, but without fear after seeing a 5-2 lead slipping away while Svitolina won consecutive matches and came out 4-5.
Svitolina then won the first two points in the 10th game with Eala, but the Ukrainian shot herself in the foot with three straight unforced errors before the Filipino world No. 35 wrapped up her victory in 1 hour 23 minutes with a winner.
It was a sweet victory for Eala, who grew up watching the 31-year-old Svitolina, winner of 20 titles, including the 2018 WTA Finals.
“Elina is a great fighter and I have seen it many times. I have been watching her since I was a child, so being able to compete with her today is a great honor. I accept her very much,” said Eala.
“She is a mother. I see her performing with elegance and strength. I am very lucky to have this match today.”
Unlike her win against Rybakina where she struggled from an early deficit, Eala enjoyed a fast start against Svitolina as she raced to a 4-1 advantage.
Eala closed out the opening set in just 32 minutes with a winning goal after a strong serve forced a comeback from Svitolina.
With the win, Eala improved her all-time record against top 10 players to 6-4 and set up a final four with world number 13 Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic on Saturday.
Eala seeks redemption after a crushing 6-2, 6-0 loss to Noskova at the Indian Wells Open in March.
“My last match with him seemed very difficult for me, so going into the semi-finals, I hope to prepare and make improvements and show what I’ve got,” Eala said. – Rappler.com
