MANILA — Filipina tennis sensation Alexandra Eala kept her dream Wimbledon campaign alive after rallying from a set down to overpower Australia’s Maya Joint, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0, and book a blockbuster third-round showdown with defending champion Iga Swiatek on Thursday night (Friday in the Philippines) at the All England Club in London.
The 21-year-old Eala shrugged off a sluggish opening set before unleashing a dominant display, winning the final nine games of the match to complete an emphatic comeback and reach the third round of the prestigious Grand Slam tournament.
Eala’s all-around performance overwhelmed Joint as she fired four aces to her opponent’s one while committing just two double faults compared with the Australian’s three.
The Filipina landed 61 percent of her first serves and won 69 percent of points on her second serve. She converted five of her 19 break-point opportunities while allowing Joint to capitalize on only two of six chances.
Eala also dominated the statistical battle, winning 95 total points against Joint’s 82, including a decisive 47-32 advantage on return points. She finished with 15 games won against Joint’s eight.
“Yeah, so for those who don’t know we had an insane match last year and I lost. It hit me quite hard. I cried a lot,” Eala said, referring to her Eastbourne Open finals loss to Joint last year.
“I don’t think I was able to watch those highlights for a couple of months. So I’m really happy. I think I improved a lot this year. I’m happy I’m able to look back at that loss. And I’m able to smile,” she added.
The victory earned Eala a place in the third round, where she will face defending Wimbledon champion and third seed Iga Swiatek of Poland, who advanced with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Czech veteran Karolina Pliskova.
Meanwhile, Eala’s run in the women’s doubles competition ended in the opening round after she and Czech partner Nikola Bartunkova fell to the tandem of Jelena Ostapenko and Sofia Kenin, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1./PN
