Pinay tennis player Alex Eala overcame a tough challenge from Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, the tournament’s No.6 seed, with a 6-1, 7-6(5) victory in the Round of 32 of the Dubai Tennis Championships early Wednesday morning.
Eala dominated the opening set, but Paolini mounted a strong comeback in the second.
The Filipina ace built a 3-1 lead before Paolini rallied to level the score. Eala regained momentum to go up 5-3, but Paolini saved three match points and forced a tiebreak after tying the set at 6-6.
In the tiebreak, Paolini briefly led 3-2, but Eala responded with three straight points to seize control.
After one hour and 40 minutes of play, the World No. 47 sealed the hard-fought win despite Paolini saving another match point.
Eala now advances to face Sorana Cîrstea of Romania in the next round.