Alex Eala inched closer to winning a second pro title as she and Frenchwoman Estelle Cascino stunned the second-seeded pair of Britain’s Emily Appleton and the Netherlands’ Isabelle Haverlag, 6-4, 6-0, in their quarterfinals match in the W75 Croissy-Beaubourg International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament in France on Friday, March 29 (Manila time.)
The first set was fought fiercely and excitedly but it was the tandem of Eala and Cascino which came out with bigger shots that turned things around.
It was a breeze for Eala, 18, and Cascino, 28, after the tightly-contested first set, dominating the second frame with variety of wicked and sometimes timely drop shots.
They also played rock-solid defensively that frustrated their time and again.
In the semis set later in the day, they will face Russian Kira Pavlova and Marie Weckerle of Luxembourg, who pulled off a thrilling 6-3, 4-6, 10-8 win over third-seeded Russians Valentini Grammatikopoulou and Elena Pridankina.
Eala is already out of the mix in the singles event after absorbing a 4-6,6-4,6-1 defeat at the hands of Germany’s Mona Barthel.
In January this year, Eala finally nailed her first pro doubles title as she and Latvian partner Daria Semenistala ruled the W50 Pune tiff in India.
It was a performance to remember for Eala as they beat the top-seeded pair Naiktha Bains and Fanny Stollar, 7-6 (8), 6-3.
