It was only five months ago in Dubai that American star Jessica Pegula could not stop admiring Alex Eala’s meteoric rise as a tennis player and the adulation she receives from her passionate, flag-waving Filipino supporters.
Pegula had just won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships singles title — her 11th WTA trophy.
But the 32-year-old, daughter of American billionaire Terry Pegula, showed all her grace when asked about Eala, the young Filipina sensation who made a stirring run to the quarterfinals in Dubai.
“We saw it here (in Dubai). You can hear it (the noise) from the (on-site) hotel. You can hear the crowd roaring at night. It’s incredible,” Pegula said.
“The way she’s been able to pack stadiums and the way her country supports her is something special. She handles it so maturely, with such grace.
“She seems so appreciative of all the support she gets. She always seems to have a good head on her shoulders and a good attitude about it.”
Eala showed all that and more when she faced Pegula in the rain-interrupted final of the Washington Open, as she staged a stunning fightback to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.
Hordes of Filipino fans thronged the stadium in Washington to support the highest-ranked player in the history of the Philippines.
And Eala didn’t disappoint any of them, showing great composure to win the first WTA title of her career.
“It’s an incredible milestone for me,” said Eala.
Having beaten Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, last year’s winner Leylah Fernandez, second seed Elina Svitolina, and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka to reach the final, Eala fought fire with fire before dismantling Pegula in the last set.
“At the beginning of the week, there’s no way I’d have thought that I’d be holding this trophy,” she said.
Eala, who has climbed to the 20th spot in the world rankings, proved that her run to the Wimbledon round of 16 was no fluke with her giant-killing acts in Washington.
“Coming into the tournament, I knew that the competition was super strong and my draw was quite tough. Every match was a different set of obstacles. I’m really proud,” she said.
“I ended the tournament in better shape than I started. Each match I kept improving and kept learning things about myself. So it definitely gives me a lot of confidence.”
Millions of fans in her country will hope that the Washington victory will give Eala the confidence to make a deep run at the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year, which starts later this month.
Source: Khaleej Times