Curse continues: Eala still can’t solve Czech puzzle, falls to Noskova

Alex Eala’s campaign came to a screeching halt after losing to world No. 14 Linda Noskova of Czech Republic, 2-6, 0-6, in the Round of 16 of the BNP Paribas Open women’s singles event at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California.

Unlike her brilliant performance against world No. 4 Coco Gauff of the United States, the 20-year-old Filipina struggled early before completely losing steam against the aggressive Noskova, who became the 12th Czech player to beat her in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) circuit.

It was also a sweet revenge for the 21-year European who lost to Eala in the final of the Les Petits As-Le Mondial Lacoste in Tarbes, France in 2018 and the quarterfinal of the French Open junior singles in 2020.

Noskova said staying aggressive against the Rafael Nadal Academy alumna was her key to winning the match and advancing to the quarterfinal of this prestigious WTA 1000 event dubbed as the “fifth Grand Slam.”

“I was definitely pushing from the start to the end on court. I was using my serve a lot, putting as much pressure as I could and trying to keep the rallies under control while also taking advantage of her serve,” said Noskova, who will be taking on world No. 112 Talia Gibson of Australia in the quarterfinal.

Noskova started strong in the opening set as she broke Eala serve and held onto a 2-0 lead. Eala, however, was able to hold her serve in the third game but it wasn’t enough as the Czech netter went on to claim a 1-0 lead.

The second set was more of the same as Noskova broke Eala’s serve to completely dictate the tempo that left the Filipina groping for form, leading to her first bagel of the tournament.

Despite failing to qualify in the quarterfinals, Eala still had an amazing Indian Wells debut after drawing a bye in the Round of 128 before beating world No. 52 Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, in the Last 64 followed by an earthshaking 6-2, 2-0 (ret.) upset of Gauff in the Last 32.

With her campaign coming to an end, Eala is set to earn $105,720 -- or P6.2 million -- for making it to the Round of 16 while sending her to a career-best top 30 in the WTA ranking.

Eala said she will walk out of Indian Wells with nothing to be ashamed of.

“I do leave with happiness. I think tomorrow I’ll be a bit happier than I am now,” said Eala, expressing gratitude to the Filipinos who went out of their way to support her.

“Of course, the initial feelings after the match are a tough pill to swallow, but I’m in the fourth round of Indian Wells. I’m really happy about that. It’s still something I’m really proud of and I wish it could have ended under different circumstances, but it is what it is and there will be a next time for sure.”

Eala will now head to Florida for the Miami Open on 15 March – the site of her biggest professional victory.

“That Miami run was really big. It was my biggest result and it was kind of the spark that lit the fire. I learned so much from that week and I’ll always remember it,” said Eala, who stunned world-class netters like Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, Madison Keys of the United States and Iga Swiatek of Poland en route to a semifinal stint in Miami last year.

“But there have been many things that happened between then and now that have helped me grow as a player and as a person. One of the biggest things is maturity and experience.”

With a main draw slot and a bye in the Round of 128 waiting for her in Miami, Eala said she isn’t letting her guard down after competing in numerous high-level WTA tournaments last year.

“Being able to consistently surround myself with this level of tennis players and competition pushes me to be better. I’m trying to find my limits and go past them,” Eala said.