Alex Eala defeated No. 56 Hailey Baptiste of the United States of America in the 2nd Round of Qualifiers on June 22 in order to advance in the main draw of the Eastbourne Open.
Familiarity in “Must Win” Situations
Baptiste, ranked No. 56 in the world and coming off a breakthrough run to the fourth round of the French Open, came out firing, quickly building a 3-0 lead in the first set. Although Eala managed to even the score, Baptiste reasserted control in the tiebreak, taking it convincingly.
Final Score of Set 1: 7-6(1)
The 20-year-old Filipina showed her resilience in the second set, taking an early lead and creating multiple opportunities to close it out at 5-4 and again at 6-5. Baptiste refused to yield, forcing another tiebreak, but this time Eala surged ahead 5-1 and eventually captured the set.
Final Score of Set 2: 7-6(4)
With the momentum on her side, Eala dominated the third set, racing to a 3-0 lead before play was briefly halted by a medical timeout from Baptiste.
The American needed another timeout two games later, but the pride of the Philippines remained composed, extending her lead to 5-0. Although Baptiste managed to take one game, Eala quickly shut the door, sealing the win and her place in the main draw.
Final Score of Set 3: 6-1
World-Ranked Increased Ahead of Main Draw Match
After winning her match to enter the Eastbourne Main Draw, Alex Eala’s ranking went up three spots as she is now No. 74.
She is now set to face world No. 61 Lucia Bronzetti of Italy in the Round of 32. Bronzetti, a 26-year-old Italian, is a clay-court specialist with one WTA title to her name.
