Eala stuns Spanish foe to close in on US Open main draw

MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala is one win away from a historic berth in the US Open after completing a 7-5, 7-5 upset of Spain’s Nuria Parrizas-Diaz Thursday morning (Manila time). 

The Filipina is now on the brink of a Grand Slam main draw once again, a feat she came close to a couple of times in the past — in Wimbledon and the French Open — before bowing out in the third round of the qualifiers. 

It was a grind-it-out contest for the Asian Games bronze medalist, as she and the World No. 99 tennister were not giving an inch against each other.

With the set tied at 5-all, Eala finally broke through and gained the upper hand in the 11th game. 

A slick move by the Filipina gave her the first set after a tough frame. 

The same happened in the second set. Eala took a 5-4 lead, moving a game away from the match, but the Spaniard tied it up anew at 5. 

After the World No. 148 Filipina took a 6-5 advantage, an error by Parrizas-Diaz secured the victory for the former.

While the two tennisters are virtually tied in an array of statistics, Eala banked on her receiving game to secure the victory, winning 41 compared to Parrizas-Diaz’s 26. 

The 19-year-old will be facing Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the final round of the qualifiers. 

It will still be an uphill battle for Eala as Ruse is ranked 123rd in the world.