Alex Eala beats Siegemund to advance at Miami Open
Filipino tennis star fights back to win in three sets 6-7, 6-3, 6-3
Dubai: Alex Eala fought back from a set down to defeat Laura Siegemund to enter the Round of 32 at Miami Open on Thursday.
After having lost the first set in a tie-breaker 6-7(6), the 20-year-old took control of the match in the second set. She earned an early break and maintained it to win the second set 6-3.
She continued her domination in the third set taking an early lead of 2-0.
But Siegemund wasn’t surrendering so easily as he fought back to break Eala immediately.
That didn’t affect the Filipino’s confidence as she broke back the 38-year-old German’s serve after an intense battle to gain a 3-1 advantage. She ensured she kept her control over the game to wrap the set and the match 6-3.
Earlier in an interview with The Times, Eala said she was overwhelmed by the support she receives each time she competes.
“It’s such a good thing to have and I’m super grateful,” Eala said. “I’m happy that [Filipinos] are being exposed to tennis. At the end of the day, it’s just a way for us to bond and show pride in our culture.
“We’re very proud of where we come from. I haven’t seen that shared sense of pride in a lot of other communities, so that’s one of the things that makes us special.
“But yeah, of course, especially in the beginning of the year, it kind of stepped up a notch. It was a little surprising, definitely, because it’s hard to see yourself as that ‘famous’ when you have just been you for your whole life.
“But once you get past that, you learn to really enjoy it because the atmosphere is really different when there’s a full stadium.”
She also spoke about her fame back home in Quezon City in the Philippines. “It’s weird because being at home is like the most normal thing, right? But being famous at home, I walk around the streets or go to the restaurants I’ve gone to since I was a kid and all of a sudden people are asking for photos, so it’s something to get used to,” she said.
Stay updated: Get the latest faster by downloading the Gulf News app - it's completely free. Click here for Apple or here for Android. You can also find it us on the Huawei AppGallery.
