Eala claims another top-10 victim with sweep of Svitolina to reach Berlin Open semis

MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala has displayed significant improvement on grass and it shows with the caliber of opponents she has beaten this year.

Eala claimed another top-10 victim to advance to the semifinals of the Berlin Tennis Open in Germany, earning a 6-3, 6-4 win over world No. 8 Elina Svitolina at the Steffi Graf Stadion on Friday, June 19 (Saturday, June 20, Manila time).

Brimming with confidence after stunning world No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the previous round, the 21-year-old Eala extended her magical run in the WTA 500 tournament with another upset of a formidable opponent who has won two titles this year. 

“I think I’m getting better. I hope I’m getting better. Of course, being exposed to this kind of level more often really pushes you to your limits and forces you to showcase what you got,” said Eala. 

“Some weeks are better than others and I’m really enjoying this week, so thank you everyone for coming along on the ride.” 

Eala reached the semifinals for the third time this year but not without a scare after seeing her commanding 5-2 lead slip away as Svitolina won back-to-back games to pull within 4-5.

Svitolina then won the first two points of the 10th game with Eala on serve, but the Ukrainian shot herself in the foot with three straight errors before the Filipina world No. 35 sealed her victory in 1 hour and 23 minutes with a backhand winner.

It was a sweet victory for Eala, who grew up looking up to the 31-year-old Svitolina, a winner of 20 titles, including the 2018 WTA Finals. 

“Elina is a huge fighter and I’ve seen it many times. I’ve been watching her since I was a kid, so to be able to compete with her today is such an honor. I really admire her,” said Eala. 

“She’s a mother. I find her to act with such elegance and strength. I’m really lucky to have had this match today.”
Unlike her win over Rybakina where she fought back from an early deficit, Eala enjoyed a fast start against Svitolina as she mounted a 4-1 advantage.

Eala closed out the opening set in just 32 minutes with a booming forehand winner after a heavy serve forced a poor return from Svitolina. 

With the triumph, Eala improved her all-time record against top-10 players to 6-4 and arranged a final four clash with world No. 13 Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic on Saturday.

Eala seeks redemption after a crushing 6-2, 6-0 loss to Noskova in the Indian Wells Open in March.

“My last match with her proved to be very difficult for me, so coming into the semifinals, I hope to prepare and make some improvements and show what I got,” said Eala. – Rappler.com