FRESH off her historic breakthrough title at the Mubadala DC Open, Philippine tennis star Alex Eala kept her winning momentum alive with a gritty 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 victory over America’s Alycia Parks at the WTA 1000 National Bank Open on Thursday (Manila time) at Sobeys Stadium.
The 21-year-old World No. 20 and 25th seed in Toronto, who received a first-round bye, needed one hour and 51 minutes to neutralize Parks’ powerful serve and secure sweet revenge.
The World No. 71 American had previously defeated Eala in three sets during the first round of the Australian Open last January.
Eala set the tone early on Centre Court, dominating the opening set with baseline precision.
However, Parks quickly found her rhythm in the second set, unleashing 10 aces throughout the match and securing a critical break in the tenth game to force a deciding frame.
Unshaken by the setback, Eala broke a 2-2 deadlock in the final set, seizing Parks’ serve in the fifth game before charging through the next three games to seal the victory.
Capitalizing on her opponent’s six double faults, Eala converted five break points to put the match away.
A passionate contingent of Filipino fans waving flags and chanting her name cheered Eala to the finish line.
“There are so many Filipinos in the crowd tonight,” Eala said during her post-match interview, expressing deep gratitude to her supporters. “I just came off Washington, and I feel that is a celebration… Linggo-linggo ko rin nakikita kung gaano niyo mahal ang kapwa niyo Pinoy.”
With the victory, Eala moves on to the third round to face unseeded American Caty McNally, who produced a major upset by sweeping reigning Wimbledon champion and sixth seed Linda Noskova, 7-6 (5), 6-1. It will mark the first career meeting between Eala and McNally.
