By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala survived a tough second set battle to stun the fancied Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia, 1-6, 7-6 (9), 6-3, and barge into the third qualifying round of the Wimbledon Championships in Great Britain on Wednesday, June 26.
The come-from-behind win was perhaps Eala’s most compelling performance this year as she needed to recover from a sluggish start to outlast her 14th-seeded rival and move one win away from earning a main draw berth in this grasscourt Grand Slam event.
Great character that was for everyone to see, and a fabulous one if the 19-year-old Eala could nail another win and realize her dream of playing in the main draw of the fabled event.
The triumph — a fitting follow up to her 7-6 (1), 6-4 win over France’s Jessika Ponchet in the first qualifying round the day before — arranged her a next meeting with the winner between Czech Republic’s Gabriela Knutson and New Zealand’s Lulu Sun, who are playing at press time.
It was a hard-fought match for the Filipina tennis sensation as she dropped her serve five times including four in the first frame while stumbling into 38 unforced errors.
Zidansek refused to be intimidated even after Eala took a 4-2 lead in the second set, grabbing the next three games for a 5-4 upperhand.
But Eala kept her composure and won the tiebreak, enough to fuel her drive and boosted her momentum in the deciding frame that she dominated after breaking a 2-all tie.
This marked the second time that Eala made it to the third round of a Grand Slam qualifying. She almost barged into the main draw of the French Open late May, but lost to Argentina’s Julia Riera in three sets.
