DETERMINATION proved to be Alex Eala’s trump card as she battled back against former world No. 22 and 2021 French Open finalist Tamara Zidansek on Wednesday to move one win away from the main draw of Wimbledon.
Eala, who has yet to reach the main draw of a grand slam as a professional, recovered from a lopsided first set loss to claim the comeback victory over Zidansek, 1-6, 7-6(9), 6-3, in the second round of qualifiers.
Eala grits and grinds
The 19-year-old had her back against the wall in the tiebreak of Set 2 when she needed to save eight match points before forcing the decider.
In the third set, Eala rode the momentum she gained from her steely Set 2 win all the way to a meeting with New Zealand’s Lulu Sun in her final qualifying match for a chance at the main draw of Wimbledon.
Sun is the 23-seed in the qualifying tournament and is currently ranked world No. 123, while the Philippines' pride is No. 162.
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