By CARLO ANOLIN
Alex Eala outlasted local bet Rosa Vicens Mas in a thriller of a match, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4) and barged into the semifinal of the W25 El Espinar/Segovia International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament Thursday, July 28, in Spain.
Both players engaged each other in fast and furious action, coming through with huge shots each time they need one to the delight of a small but highly-appreciative crowd.
But in the end, it was Eala’s grit that made the difference, ending the two-hour and 19-minute duel with an ace to make it to the semis round for the second straight week
The 17-year-old Eala, seeded fourth in the tournament, thus arranged another battle with a Spaniard in Eva Guerrero Alvarez, who defeated Flavie Brugnone of France, 6-4, 6-2, in another quarterfinal showdown.
Despite leading 5-3 early in the first set, Eala gave up three straight games that enabled Vicens Mas to take the lead at 6-5.
Eala, however, refused to be cowed and fought back valiantly to equalize the match before stepping on the gas in the 13th game to take the first set.
The second canto also saw and nip-and-tuck affair as Vicens Mas trailed midway before knotting the count anew at 6-6.
Vicens Mas led 4-1 in the tiebreak first but a double fault proved to be costly for the Spaniard as Eala zoomed in with five straight points, including an ace, for the win.
Eala earlier beat Maria Bondarenko and Amy Zhu in the first and second rounds, respectively, before clinching a quarterfinal spot.
Eala aims for her second title and third overall since winning the W25 Chiang Rai in Thailand last April.
Meanwhile, Latvia’s Diana Marcinkevica, seeded fifth, takes on Mirra Andreeva in another semifinal matchup.