ALEX Eala notched arguably the biggest win in her young professional career, downing world no. 41 Lesia Tsurenko in the Round of 128 of the Madrid Open on Tuesday (Manila time).
The Filipina, a wild card entry in the tournament, fought back from a set down to stun the veteran Ukrainian player, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Eala digs deep
Eala dug deep to recover after losing the first set, winning back-to-back games to take an early 2-0 lead in the second frame.
And while Tsurenko battled point for point to get back into the set and force a deadlock at 4-4, the 18-year-old strung two more game wins to force the third-set decider.
Eala clawed back from a narrow 3-4 deficit by winning three straight games and send the more-seasoned Tsurenko crashing out of the tournament.
The win is a much needed boost for Eala’s career after a string of early exits in her last few ITF tournaments.
Daunting task for Eala
However, she faces another big challenge in the second round against 27th seed Sorana Cirstea of Romania. They play on Thursday, Manila time.
If Eala scores another upset in Madrid, she could possibly be in for a collision course with world no. 1 Iga Swiatek in the third round.
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