By CARLO ANOLIN
Alex Eala was tested to the max but still came out victorious – thanks to a steely resolve.
Displaying maturity seldom seen from a 15-year-old netter, Eala pulled off a pulsating 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 win over Carole Monnet of France and advanced to the semifinals of the ITF Manacor in Spain Friday (Saturday, Manila time).
The win was a fitting follow up to her masterful two-set win over top-seed and world No. 2 Seone Mendez on Thursday.
Unlike in her win over Mendez, Eala had to work hard for her every point as the 19-year-old Monnet proved to be an able challenger.
Eala, the World No. 3 in the ITF Juniors, survived a three-hour and a minute duel with Monnet, ITF’s No. 14, en route to her first semifinals appearance in the pro ranks.
The Filipino wunderkind struggled anew with her serves, double faulting 10 times, but bounced back and capitalized to break Monnet’s serve on 57 percent efficiency.
The second set win was the game changer as Eala found her groove and delivered beautiful winners.
In the semis, Eala will be facing Hong Kong’s Adithya Karunaratne, who defeated Colombian Emiliana Arango, 6-2, 6-3, later tonight.
