Alex Eala labels Abu Dhabi Open win “special”

Alex Eala was overcome with emotion after completing a thrilling comeback against Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the Round of 16 at the WTA 500 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open on Wednesday night.

The Filipina star fought back from four games down and a match point to beat Sasnovich in a final set tie-break earning her place in the Quarter-finals of the Abu Dhabi Open.

“With a little bit of luck it went my way,” said an exhausted Eala. “Sasnovich played a really good game so I’m happy with how I stayed in the fight, these matches can go either way so I’m very happy to come out on top.

“I was down match point and there was a lot of points where I could have given up and that’s what makes this win a lot more special."

After a strong second set where she levelled the game at 1-1, Eala fell behind 4–0 in the final set and appeared on the verge of elimination.

She never stopped fighting and managed to claw back two games to keep her hopes alive only for Sasnovich to then push ahead to 5–2 and standing just one point away from sealing a Quarter-finals place.

“It was tough at 5-2, she had a lot of momentum,” said the 20-year-old. “I just had to take it point-by-point and feed into the energy from the stadium to help me push through.”

After earning the win, Eala had an outpour of emotion on the court and shared a moment with her parents in the crowd as she celebrated what was possibly one of her hardest fought victories of her career.

The former Junior US Open winner went on to explain what she was feeling after what was a mentally exhausting few hours on court.

“Those types of matches take so much out of you, there was a lot of tension on that court and that was amplified by the super loud atmosphere,” Eala stated.

“Having to stay extremely focused during the game means after match point you can finally release all the tension you have held in and that’s what happened to me out there, I was able to let go of my emotions at the end.”

Despite her young age, Eala has risen to stardom and enjoys strong support everywhere she plays, especially from the Filipino community, a presence that was clearly felt Thursday night as fans cheered her through every point.

Eala reflected on how competing in the UAE brings a unique kind of support, fueled by the region’s large Filipino expatriate community.

“I’ve been in a lot of positions now where I have felt this incredible support, but I think this year it has really stepped up a notch,” she explained.

“The atmosphere in Abu Dhabi is incredible, along with family members who are expats in this region there’s also a lot of fans who are here as well so it’s a great feeling that their support for me brings the Filipino community together and they can share something that they’re excited about.”