MANILA, Philippines — Visibly exhausted yet overcome with emotion, Alex Eala battled through another grueling three-setter to advance to the round of 16 of the National Bank Open in Toronto, Canada.
The 21-year-old Filipino tennis ace outlasted American Caty McNally, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, on Saturday morning (Manila time) at the Sobeys Stadium Centre Court.
Eala appeared to be cruising after dominating the opening set, but McNally, 24, fought back strongly in the second frame and forced a decider.
The World No. 20 Eala also had to deal with a physical setback after calling for a medical timeout midway through the second set due to an issue with her right foot.
Despite the pain and fatigue, Eala regained her composure and came out firing in the third, racing to a 2-0 lead before eventually closing out the match against the World No. 70 McNally.
But once the battle was over, the emotions finally poured out.
Eala sat on the sidelines, covered her face and appeared to take in the magnitude of another demanding victory following an already remarkable stretch in her young career.
“These two weeks have been incredible for me. Just so many extreme emotions, and I am doing my best to power through and be professional and do what I know how to do,” said Eala, who recently captured her first WTA Tour-level title at the Washington Open.
Playing before a large and vocal Filipino crowd in Toronto also provided Eala with an added source of motivation.
“I mean, to play in front of you guys, it’s amazing. The motivation to come here to play another match, everything just becomes so much more emotional, guys,” she said.
Eala has endured a hectic schedule since her breakthrough title in Washington.
She had only 48 hours to recover from her championship run before opening her Canadian Open campaign against Alycia Parks, whom she defeated in the first round.
She then teamed up with tennis legend Venus Williams in the doubles competition, but the pair suffered a defeat on Friday, leaving Eala with less than 24 hours to recover before taking on McNally in singles.
The demanding schedule appeared to take its toll, but Eala once again dug deep when it mattered most.
“I think I survived that one; it was so tough,” Eala said of her hard-fought victory over McNally.
With the win, Eala moves into the Canadian Open round of 16, continuing a remarkable run that has seen her collect victory after victory despite the short turnaround between tournaments and matches.
