MANILA — Alexandra Eala refused to let a troublesome ankle — or a determined Caty McNally — derail her Toronto charge, grinding out a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 victory over the American to storm into the fourth round of the National Bank Open.
The No. 25 seed battled through pain that surfaced in the second set and survived a three-set test to extend her winning streak to seven matches and keep alive her bid for another deep run in a WTA 1000 tournament.
Eala had to fight from behind almost immediately after McNally raced to a 3-1 advantage in the opening set.
The Filipina, however, quickly seized control, repeatedly breaking the American’s serve and reeling off five consecutive games to claim the opening set, 6-3.
McNally refused to fold in the second frame, engaging Eala in a tighter baseline battle as the Filipina began experiencing discomfort in her ankle.
The American eventually secured the decisive break and took the second set, 7-5, forcing the match into a decider.
Despite the ankle problem, Eala maintained her composure in the third set, matching McNally in the crucial exchanges before securing the break she needed to close out the match, 6-4.
“I’m okay,” Eala said when asked about her ankle. “I think I survived that one, it was so tough. I want to thank Caty for a great match, being a great sport.”
“It’s one of those matches that I really could have gone either way. I think it was really down to details and a little bit of luck, so give her her flowers guys, it was a really great match,” she added.
The numbers reflected how closely contested the encounter was.
Eala finished with 94 total points against McNally’s 90 and converted seven of her 13 break-point opportunities. She also fired two aces while committing only two double faults.
More importantly, the victory stretched Eala’s winning streak to seven matches following her breakthrough championship run at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington, where she captured her first WTA Tour singles crown and became the first Filipina to win a WTA Tour singles championship.
Eala now faces Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic in the fourth round on Sunday night (this morning in the Philippines), with the Filipina looking to overcome both her ankle concern and another formidable opponent to extend her remarkable North American run./PN
