FROM hoping she'd "forget about the match" to finally smiling after conquering Maya Joint at last, Alex Eala completed one of the sweetest full-circle moments of her young career in the second round of this year's Wimbledon.
A year after fighting back tears following her runner-up finish in Eastbourne, Eala found herself emotional again, but this time, for an entirely different reason.
READ: Eala earns payback on Joint to enter Wimbledon third round
The Filipina reflected on the painful defeat she suffered to Joint, admitting it lingered long after the match was over.
"I lost and I cried a lot. I don't think I was able to watch those highlights for months," Eala said in a post-match interview after her vengeful 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 victory this time around. "I'm glad I can now look back at that loss and I'm able to smile."
The feat, she said, was the product of countless hours behind the scenes.
"I have been working really hard. My team has been working extremely hard, and I really feel like it's paying off," she continued.
Birthday gift for coach
After dropping the opening set to a surging Joint, Eala said she had to "dig deep" to keep her Wimbledon dream alive, fully aware of the challenge posed by the Australian, who had just stunned Serena Williams in the opening round.
The win carried even more meaning, as it came on her coach's birthday.
"It's my coach's birthday. It's absolutely incredible. Maraming, maraming salamat," Eala said, before also acknowledging the "electric" yet respectful atmosphere created by the Filipino crowd together with Joint's supporters.
Next for Eala is a third career meeting with defending champion Iga Swiatek, with the two splitting their first two encounters.
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