Alexandra Eala’s dream run may have ended on Monday, but the Filipina sensation is looking forward to the US Open (August 23-September 13) as well as a new haircut.
The 21-year-old was on a seven-match unbeaten run, which included her historic first WTA title in Washington last week.
But the left-hander ran out of gas in the round of 16 in Toronto as she slumped to a 6-4, 6-0 defeat against 14th-ranked Swiss Belinda Bencic at the Canadian Open in Toronto.
Despite the disappointing result, Eala can look back on her performance with pride, having lifted the trophy in Washington and reached the round of 16 in Toronto.
The Filipino trailblazer moved up to the 20th spot in the world rankings on the back of her heroics in Washington, where she beat a host of top stars — Qinwen Zheng, Leylah Fernandez, Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka and Jessica Pegula — to win the title.
But now, Eala wants to take her mind off tennis for a few days before turning her attention to the next tournaments.
“I definitely will take maybe two days off. I do have to travel to Cincinnati. I need to get a haircut. I haven’t gotten a haircut in a while. My nails are grown out,” she said at the post-match press conference.
“So, yeah, I’ll do a couple things, just to get my mind off tennis. I think Toronto’s a great place to do that. Yeah, reunite maybe with some friends in Cincinnati, and just try to have fun. I’ll be back on court like that, so I got to enjoy what I have. I got to enjoy the time that I have that I’m not on court.”
Eala’s next tournament is the Cincinnati Open (August 13-23), the final warm-up event for the year’s last Grand Slam, the US Open (August 23-September 13).
She says she will draw inspiration from her performances in the last two tournaments, especially in Washington.
“I’m looking back at these past two weeks as a really big positive. I think I’ve played really well, I’ve gotten through so many obstacles,” she said.
“I’m healthy, which is something I’m super grateful for. It’s something that’s obviously on the top of my priority all the time.
“So, yeah, I’m counting my blessings. I’m taking the lessons that I’ve had from these two weeks and hopefully implementing them even more in a better way in Cincinnati and New York.”
The highest-ranked player in the history of the Philippines, Eala’s best Grand Slam performance came last month at Wimbledon, where she reached the round of 16.
She will hope to go further at the US Open in New York, where hordes of her compatriots are expected to throng the stadium again to support her.
Eala’s matches brought the biggest crowds in Toronto as flag-waving Filipino fans cheered her on every point.
There were even food stalls at the stadium selling the national dish of the Philippines — chicken adobo.
“I think I am kind of just like a drop in the ocean, you know, when it comes to Filipinos and their pride for their culture and where they come from,” she said.
“Me, I do a lot to kind of represent my country, and I’m very proud of it. But you see, the stadium was full of (Filipino) people who do the same thing. I guess that just shows you what kind of a community we are, and what kind of a people we are, and how supportive we are of each other.”
Source: Khaleej Times