Bittersweet victory: Eala advances as Gauff retires with scary injury

Bittersweet victory: Eala advances as Gauff retires with scary injury | Daily Tribune

“It’s a difficult decision to retire from a match. I know no one likes winning like that and no one likes losing like that,” said Eala, who displayed impressive form against the 21-year-old American.

“Nevertheless, I’m really happy with how I played. I’m really happy with my performance and I hope I can make the best out of the momentum.”

Gauff is the fourth top 10 player that the Filipina had beaten.

Last year, Eala went on a tear as she shocked former world No. 5 Madison Keys of the United States and world No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland en route to a semifinal appearance in the Miami Open. Recently, she took down No. 7 Jasmine Paolini of Italy in the Dubai Tennis Championships last February.

Consistency playing in high-level competitions has worked wonders for Eala, especially in staying composed in tough matches.

“There’s no specific technique that I use. I think I’ve gained certain experience over the years in how to handle these high-pressure situations. Of course, it’s taken up a notch when you’re playing big players and when you’re playing on big courts, so it’s still a learning experience for me,” said Eala, who was trounced by Gauff, 6-0, 6-2, in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Open last month.

“What I try to do is just focus on the next thing that I have to do. I try not to think of the bigger picture and instead focus on what I can control.”

The first set showed a lot of promise as both Eala and Gauff broke each other’s serves in the first four games leading to a 2-2 scoreline. With Gauff trailing, 2-5, she received medical attention with a trainer spotted massaging her shoulder before applying a compression bandage on her left forearm.

Eala eventually held her serve in the fifth game to take a 1-0 set lead.

The Filipina continued her momentum in the second set as she held her serve before breaking Gauff’s serve for a 2-0 lead. Gauff eventually felt a “firework” inside her left arm, forcing her to stop from playing, walk to the net and congratulate her foe after just 54 minutes of play.

“I felt it, like, the second game of the first set. I guess a simple way to put it, it felt like a firework was going off inside of my arm, and then my whole arm felt like it was on fire,” said Gauff, whose two-handed backhand is usually a formidable weapon until she suffered an injury that made it ineffective against a powerful lefty like Eala.

“And then as the match played, it got progressively worse, even on shots that I wasn’t even using my left arm for.”

It’s just the second time for Gauff to retire in the middle of a match. Her first was in 2022 when she rolled her ankle before bowing to Marie Bouzkova in the Cincinnati Open.