A historic moment is at hand for Philippine tennis as Alexandra “Alex” Eala on Friday (Saturday PH time) at the US Open in New York City.
A big Filipino crowd came to watch their hearts out as the 17-year-old Eala turned back ninth seed Victoria Mboko of Canada, 6-1, 7-6(7-5), in their semifinals match to earn her first ever finals stint in the tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.
No Filipino netter has ever made it this far in the US Open junior, until Eala decided at the last minute to join the Grand Slam event.
“Sobrang saya. Especially with all the Filipinos who came to watch today. It was a great atmosphere,” said Eala following a huddle with her uncle and Philippine Sports Commission chairman Noli Eala on his weekly program Power and Play.
From the start, Eala, immediately seized control of the first set, and won it in just 26 minutes.
With Mboko winning only six of 17 points off her first serves, Eala was done following their one hour and 21 minute-long showdown.
Reigning French Open girls’ singles champion Lucie Havlickova repulsed no. 7 seed Diana Shnaider, 6-4, 6-4, also in 70 minutes to emerge as Eala’s rival for the title.
It was close for Eala and Mboko in the second set after the Filipina held serve for a 6-all tie, and a deciding tiebreak.
With tied at 4-all, Mboko committee three unforced errors put the game and the win to Eala, who went to advance to her first-ever girls’ singles championship in the US Open, and after reaching the historic quarterfinal run last year.
Eala said she played happy during the match, and with lots of composure in her system.
“I’m most happy about my mental composure, and during all my matches, and how I was able to adopt to the different situations that occurred during the game,” added Eala.
If Eala beats Havlickova, she will take her third Grand Slam crown, and her first in the singles as well.
She already has the 2020 Australian Open doubles and 2021 French Open doubles in her list of trophies.
It was a great run for Eala, who decided to join the US Open after her family urged her to visit her grandparents, Frankie and Melinda, who are New York residents.
She was accompanied to New York City by her dad Michael Francis and Rizza.
Eala began her singles campaign by breezing past Canadian Annabelle Xu in the first round, 6-3, 6-0, and Slovakian Nina Vargova in the second round, 6-2, 6-3.
Next, Eala defeated No. 8 seed Australian Taylah Preston in the third round, 6-2, 7-6(1), and her Russian partner, No. 14 seed Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals, 6-4, 6-0.
Because of injury sustained by Andreeva in the singles clash, Eala and the Russian netter later defaulted their double clash with Germans Ella Seidel and Carolina Kuhl in the second round.
“It’s unfortunate that she got injured. Of course, it was not a good feeling for me. Right now, I’m focusing on the singles, and wishing that she can recover well,” said Eala on Andreeva.
Andreeva earlier upset girls’ No. 1 seed Sofia Costoulas, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, in the third round, and this led to her quarterfinals meeting with Eala.