By NIKOLE JAVIER
Alex Eala reached her second finals appearance this year after surviving No. 3 seed Arianne Hortono of the Netherlands, 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-1, in the W25 Roehampton on Saturday night, Aug. 12 in Great Britain.
The Filipina tennis star recovered from scrappy start, bucked a second-set loss before dominating the Dutch with her powerful strokes and resilience in their delayed semifinals clash.
“So excited to be in my second final of the year and first ever final here in London!,” Eala wrote on social media.
Last June, the 18-year-old Filipina claimed the W25 Yecla title in Spain before officially graduating as a Rafa Nadal Academy scholar.
The win was a fitting sequel to last year’s US Open singles girls champion’s stunning 6-2, 6-4 win over top seed Priscilla Hon of Australia in their quarterfinals duel.
After a grueling first set win, Eala found herself in a 1-4 hole in the second set which got suspended for an unspecified reason, only this time, Hortono’s determined fightback ended in an equalizer.
The sixth-seeded Eala, though, remained unfazed and breezed through the Dutch in the closing set for a dominant 6-1 finishing kick.
The Filipina bet set up a title showdown against 33-year-old Arina Rodioniva of Australia, who defeated Yuriko Lily Miyazaki to clear the stage.
Eala opened her campaign in the $25,000 International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament with a dominant 6-3, 6-4 victory over Australian qualifier Gabrielle Da Silva-Fick before edging past her doubles partner Destanee Aiava, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, to see her through the Round of 16.
Similarly, Eala also barged into the quarterfinals of the doubles event after teaming up with Aiava, where they succumbed to Australian pair Petra Hule and Talia Gibson, 1-6, 5-7.
