By NIKOLE JAVIER
Alex Eala displayed some flashes of brilliance before yielding to Japanese veteran Misaki Doi, 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3, in the first qualifying round of the Australian Open Monday, Jan. 9, in Melbourne.
The match was Eala’s first foray in the women’s Grand Slam event and she took the loss positively, claiming she will use what she learned playing against a veteran rival in an atmosphere so different while playing in the juniors Gland Slam event.
After taking the opening set, Eala appeared headed to an upset win when she raced to a commanding 5-2 advantage in the next frame.
But to the horror of those watching their game, she was unraveled by her rival who fired howitzers from almost all angles while falling into a maze of errors in the process.
That enabled Doi to tie the count at 5-all and went all the way to win the match via the tiebreak.
That changed the complexion of the game as Doi continued to put more pressure on the 17-year-old Eala with her whistling shots and some clever drop shots.
It was evident how pressure got the best of Eala as the third set saw the junior champion struggling to match Doi’s momentum and completely blew her second-round chances.
It has been a rough start to the year for Eala who was also coming off a second round finish in the W60 Canberra qualifiers last week.
Eala will attempt to get her bearings going when she competes in the W250 Thailand Open on January 30.
