Alex Eala punched a Round of 16 ticket in the BNP Paribas Open on Monday with a win over world No. 4 Coco Gauff. And the 20-year-old, as has been the case throughout her career, was gracious and humble even in victory.
In fact, in her on-court interview immediately after the match, Eala conceded that she “didn’t want to win this way”—or, in this case, specifically via the retirement of Gauff early in the second set to give the Filipina a 6-2, 2-0 victory.
“I really didn’t want to win this way but this is still a really big moment for me to be able to play on Stadium 1 of Indian Wells and against such a great competitor. I’m really grateful to be here and I’m super happy,” Eala said.
Alex Eala Shouts Out Coco Gauff, Fellow Women
Alex Eala also used her postmatch interview to honor not just Gauff, but also all women on Women’s Day.
“First and foremost, I wanna say Happy Women’s Day everybody… I wanna say thank you to all the incredible women who paved the way and who have advocated for themselves and for other women,” Eala said. “Among them is Coco. Thank you, Coco, for being an amazing competitor and amazing role model and I really hope that everything is well and you will recover soon.”
The young Filipina star also took the opportunity to shout out another “amazing” woman in her life: her mother.
“I also want to say happy Women’s Day to my mom, who is there in the stands. I want to thank her for being the amazing woman that she is and for helping me become the woman that I am, so that goes to all mothers,” Alex Eala added, to the thunderous applause of the crowd.
Alex Eala is now slated to play Linda Noskova in the Round of 16.
Alex Eala Next Match
Alex Eala vs. Linda Noskova
Tournament: WTA 1000 BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells
Draw: Round of 16
Date and Time: Monday, March 11 (TBD)
