Can Alex Eala overcome injury scare to continue her run?
Filipino star will face experienced Swiss campaigner Belinda Bencic in round of 16
Alex Eala has been enjoying a remarkable run of form, and the Filipino tennis sensation has carried that momentum into the Canadian Open after making history by winning the Mubadala DC Open title in Washington.
Following victories over Americans Alycia Parks and Caty McNally, Eala has booked her place in the round of 16, where she is set to face experienced Swiss campaigner Belinda Bencic.
However, there are questions over whether the 21-year-old will be fit enough to take the court after suffering an injury scare during her third-round clash with McNally.
Eala took a nasty fall in the second set and appeared to roll her ankle, prompting her to immediately call for a medical timeout. Her ankle was strapped before she returned to action and eventually battled her way to a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 victory.
The incident understandably caused concern among Eala’s rapidly growing fanbase, but the Filipino was quick to play down the seriousness of the injury during her post-match press conference.
“Yeah, I kind of rolled my ankle in that second set. I hit the forehand and landed kind of wrong. I called the physio. I think I was a little like, ‘Oh, I don’t know what happened,’ because it happened so fast. But luckily there’s nothing wrong with it, and there were no serious problems,” Eala explained.
Demanding schedule
The youngster also admitted that the physically demanding schedule has begun to take its toll after a hectic few weeks.
“But, I mean, yeah, today physically pushed me a lot. I have a lot of matches in the bag. But that goes for good and bad. I think this is also a learning process. We’re athletes, so that physical aspect is a huge part of our job,” she added.
Eala’s admission that she is feeling physically exhausted could hand Bencic an advantage heading into their round-of-16 encounter. The Swiss star brings considerable experience to the matchup and will be looking to exploit any signs of fatigue from her younger opponent.
Still, Eala has repeatedly demonstrated her resilience during her impressive run. Despite the physical challenges, she will be hoping to recover in time and produce another standout performance as she bids to reach the Canadian Open quarterfinals.
