By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Sports fans – make it tennis lovers – woke up Saturday (March 22) morning to a pleasant news that Filipina ace Alex Eala slew a giant — a Grand Slam winner at that — in the Miami Open.
With the current political brouhaha, Eala’s 7-6 (2), 7-5 thriller over world No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko was an uplifting one.
Eala, who entered the tournament as a wildcard with a world ranking of 140, displayed nerves of steel against the former French Open champion by being aggressive to post her biggest victory so far in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA1000) event.
Eala’s legion of happy supporters hoped it would not be her last, but just the start of great things to come.
The 27-year-old Ostapenko scattered six aces throughout the one hour, 53 minute contest, but Eala countered it with her gallant and steady game that oftentimes caught her veteran rival off-guard.
It was another huge victory for the 19-year-old Eala after coming through with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) upset win over higher-ranked American Katie Volynets in the opening round a few days back.
And an emotional one, too.
After Ostapenko’s double-handed backhand went straight to the net, Eala stood motionlessly for a moment, hugging her racket with both hands, before approaching the Latvian star and exchanging a warm handshake.
She acknowledged the small but energetic crowd, barely holding her tears, as if she couldn’t believe she had survived such a world-class rival.
And while she hurdled a tough opponent in Ostapenko, Eala’s grit will be put to test anew as she next faces another esteemed rival in American fifth seed Madison Keys, who hardly broke a sweat in dismantling Elina Avanesyan of Armenia, 6-3, 6-3.
The 30-year-old world No. 5 Keys is riding the crest of an Australian Open title win just last January — her first Grand Slam feat in a well-decorated career. Prior to winning that crown, Keys was a finalist at the 2017 US Open, a semifinalist at the 2018 French Open, a quarterfinalist twice in the Wimbledon.
Though her last tournament at the BNP Paribas Open ended in semifinal defeat to world no. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, expects Keys to give Eala an acid test – one that define her character.
Her confidence now almpst sky-high, Eala is ready to face the challenge head-on.
