Eala is heading to one place against the country’s No. 14 Noskova from Czechia
ALEXANDRA “ALEX” EALA tries to topple another giant in the world No. 14 Linda Noskova of Czechia in a long battle to grab a quarterfinal ticket at the Indian Wells Open on Wednesday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California.
Mrs. Eala, of WTA No. 32, will be out to ride the momentum of her victory over No. 4 Coco Gauff – though not as much as she would have liked out of retirement – when she locks horns against the Czech ace at 11 a.m. (Manila time).
The duel will take place at the majestic Stadium 1 in Tennis Paradise and is packed with more than 16,000 people. It is the second largest tennis court in the world, next to the home of the US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, where Ms Eala ousted Ms Gauff on Monday.
And he expects the ousted Filipina, who was also encouraged by the Filipino crowd in California, to come out with guns blazing for a shot at world No. 7 Jasmine Paolini of Italy or Australia’s Talia Gibson (No. 112) in the Last 8.
“I hope I can do my best this time,” Ms Eala said in a post-match press conference following a huge 6-2, 2-0 (ret) win over American star Ms Gauff at home.
“Linda (Noskova) is an amazing player. She is very strong and very experienced even at such a young age. I am happy so I will go in with good preparation and a lot of motivation.”
Mrs. Eala, 20, and Ms. Noskova, 21, didn’t look good after pulling it off in their junior days at the French Open 2020 girls’ singles, where the Filipina ace cruised to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Six years later, they meet again in the pros and the biggest stakes are up for grabs.
“I think I have gained some experience over the years to deal with these high-pressure situations. It takes a lot when you play with big players and you play on big courts,” he added. “It teaches me how to learn. What I try to do is focus on the next thing I have to do. I try not to think about the big picture and focus on what I can control.”
Mrs. Eala, who was found at the age of 31St bye bye in the first round, she managed Ms. Gauff in the first set and was leading at two loves in the second before the American opted to stop the match due to pain in his left arm. The Round 3 victory served as a strong follow-up to Ms. Eala who won 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 against No. 52 Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine in the second round.
Ms. Noskova pulled out a 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-4 revenge win over No. 38 Sorana Cirstea of Romania, who showed her the early exit door in the Round of 32 at the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships where Ms.
Like Ms. Gauff, Mrs. Noskova who has the best career in No. 12 boasts of high quality and deep knowledge compared to Ms. Eala has played in all 1000-ranked tournaments, Grand Slams and Olympic appearances despite being a year older.
But Ms. Eala will not go to war alone.
Mrs. Eala has enjoyed great support in every city they have played in this season so far and California is no different, billed as the home state of the Filipino diaspora of nearly two million.
At the top of the quarterfinal stage, who will replace Ms. Eala moved out of the Top 20-25 after jumping to No. 28 with an extra 110 points to set a new career best in the WTA live rankings. – John Bryan Ulanday
