IN A three-hour thriller, Alex Eala proved to be tougher than her fiery foe to stay alive in Trofeo Bonfiglio.
The Filipina ace survived Sofia Costoulas of Belgium in an exhilarating three-setter, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4, to proceed to the semifinals of JA Milan on Friday night, Philippine time.
The match saw an intense exchange from both ends of the court from the very beginning, with a 12th-game deuce, which Eala eventually won.
Costoulas, 16, however, rallied back in the following set, taking two consecutive games to force a decider.
Alex Eala escapes Costoulas
Down by two games in the third, Eala powered through to tie the game at 4-4, before she eventually took over the match that logged in at exactly three hours.
Despite her win, the Juniors World No. 3 recorded 14 double faults.
Eala will next face either Russian Mirra Andreeva or Belgium’s Tilwith Di Girolami in the semifinals knockout.
She will also plays the doubles semis tonight with partner Madison Sieg as they go against Russian pair of Kira Pavlova and Diana Shnaider for a chance at the title game.
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