Eala faces ‘biggest match’

Alex Eala seeks to pull off another upset when she battles world No. 30 Sorana Cirstea of Romania in the Round of 64 of the Madrid Open on Thursday at the Arantxa Sanchez Stadium.

After posting a shocking 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over world No. 41 Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine in the Round of 128, the 18-year-old Rafael Nadal Academy (RNA) graduate is oozing with confidence as she heads into one of the most crucial matches of her career in the tourney that stakes a total of $8.7 million.

Even the RNA cheered for Eala, knowing the magnitude of the match that could put her on a collision course with world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland, who is facing Wang Xiyu of China in the second round.

"The biggest match of her career and her first in a WTA (Women's Tennis Association) event. Vamos! Laban!" RNA posted on its social media account after Eala knocked out Tsurenko late Tuesday.

Eala’s win is regarded as one of the biggest in her young professional career.

The last time Eala won over a player inside the Top 100 Women’s Tennis Association ranking was last March where she shocked then No. 100 and 2012 Roland Garros finalist Sara Errani in the qualifying round of the Miami Open.

But taking down the 34-year-old Cirstea, who earned an opening-round bye, will not be easy.

The Romanian netter has more experience in WTA matches after winning the 2008 Tashkent Open and 2021 İstanbul Cup and made it as far as the quarterfinals of the French Open in 2009 and the US Open in 2023, where she got knocked out by Karolína Muchová of Czech Republic.

Cirstea will also be the highest-ranked player that Eala would be facing after she achieved a career-high No. 21.

Cirstea made it to the fourth round of the Miami Open in March and was coming off a first-round finish at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany last week.

She was also a semifinalist at the Dubai Tennis Championships, a WTA1000 event, last February.