ALEXANDRA “ALEX” EALA attempts to topple another giant in world No. 14 Linda Noskova of Czechia in a tall order of snatching a quarterfinal ticket in the Indian Wells Open on Wednesday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California.
Ms. Eala, WTA No. 32, will be out to ride on the momentum of her win against No. 4 Coco Gauff — albeit not in the way she would have desired it via retirement — when she locks horns against the Czech ace at 11 a.m. (Manila time).
The duel is set at the majestic Stadium 1 at the Tennis Paradise once again with a looming full capacity of over 16,000. It’s the second-biggest tennis venue in the world, next only to the home of the US Open at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, where Ms. Eala eliminated Ms. Gauff on Monday.
And expect the fired up Filipina, once again buoyed by a throng of Filipinos in California, to smash it with guns ablaze for a shot at either world No. 7 Jasmine Paolini of Italy or Talia Gibson of Australia (No. 112) in the Last 8.
“I hope I can make the best out of the momentum,” said Ms. Eala in the post-match press conference following a huge 6-2, 2-0 (ret) triumph over the American star Ms. Gauff at home.
“Linda (Noskova) is an amazing player. She’s very powerful and very experienced even at such a young age. I’m excited so I’m gonna go in with a good preparation and a lot of motivation.”
Ms. Eala, 20, and Ms. Noskova, 21, are no strangers to each other after slugging it out in their junior days none bigger than the 2020 French Open girls’ singles, where the lefty Filipina ace pulled off a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback win.
Six years later, they meet again in the pros with much bigger stakes up for grabs.
“I think I’ve gained certain experience over the years to handle these high-pressure situations. It’s taken up a notch when you’re playing against big players and playing in big courts,” she added. “It’s a learning experience. What I try to do is just focus on the next thing that I have to do. I try not to think of the bigger picture and I focus on what I can control.”
Ms. Eala, seeded as 31st with a first-round bye, dominated Ms. Gauff in the first set and was leading two-to-love in the second before the American opted to call off the match due to a pain in her left arm. The Round 3 win served as a solid follow-up to Ms. Eala’s 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 win over No. 52 Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine in the second round.
Ms. Noskova pulled off a 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-4 revenge win on No. 38 Sorana Cirstea of Romania, who showed her an early exit door in the Round of 32 at the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships where Ms. Eala made it to the Last 8.
Like Ms. Gauff, Ms. Noskova with a career-best at No. 12 boasts the upper hand with higher ranking and deeper experience against Ms. Eala in all 1000-level tours, Grand Slams and Olympic appearances despite being only a year older.
But Ms. Eala will not be marching into battle alone.
Ms. Eala has enjoyed a massive support in every city she has played this season so far and California is no different, billed as the biggest home state for Filipinos abroad at around two million.
On top of a quarterfinal berth, up for taking for Ms. Eala is a shot at Top 20-25 after jumping to No. 28 with 110 additional points for a new career-best according to the WTA live rankings. — John Bryan Ulanday
