Red-hot Eala shoots for semifinal berth vs Svitolina

Alex Eala’s resolve will be tested anew when she battles world No. 10 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the quarterfinals of the Washington Open women’s singles event on Saturday at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park, Washington, D.C.

Although Eala had already beaten the 31-year-old powerhouse in the Berlin Tennis Open last June, she is still expected to enter their 6:30 a.m. (Manila time) battle with a cautious approach knowing that Svitolina is overflowing with confidence after surviving world No. 108 Polina Kudermetova in the Round of 16 last Friday.

She said her past encounter with Eala on the grass court of Berlin “was not an easy battle for me” so she will go all out to beat the world No. 28 Filipino to punch a ticket to the next round.

“It was not an easy battle for me,” Svitolina said as she recalled her first match against Eala.

“Tomorrow is a new surface, new country, a new city, so it’s a new challenge, and hopefully I’m going to draw some confidence from today’s match and carry it into tomorrow.”

But Eala had already found her form.

The world No. 28 is also oozing with momentum after opening her campaign with an earthshaking 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Paris Olympics gold medalist Qinwen Zheng of China in the Round of 32 followed by a 6-2, 7-5 demolion of Filipino-Canadian Leylah Fernandez in the Round of 16.

Eala said she banked on her composure against Fernandez, and it will be her biggest weapon as she continues her journey toward her first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 500 title.

“I think everything’s kind of a blur right now. I really made an effort to stay in the moment. And I was ready for everything that could have happened. Luckily, it went my way,” said Eala, who has been drawing the support of Filipino community everywhere she plays.

“I think it’s just part of my character. But then again, every single player here is a fighter. All of us here are fighters. Whether it’s my opponent today, yesterday, or tomorrow, you can never count anybody out.”

Should Eala defeat Svitolina again, she will face the winner between No. 71 Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy and world No. 13 Naomi Osaka of Japan in the semifinal.

A match against Osaka — a former world No. 1 — would be a blockbuster event and could serve as a teaser for the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan from 19 September to 4 October.

Meanwhile, the 25-year-old Cocciaretto has yet to win a WTA 500 title and will face Eala in the semifinals should their paths cross.

Washington Open chairman Mark Ein said having Eala as one of the tournament’s stars has been refreshing, not just because of ticket sales but also because of how she carries herself.

“We’re super glad she’s here,” Ein said.

“We love the fans that she brings. But also, just her: she’s such a really nice person and a grateful person and a humble person, so having her here is honestly one of the really great things that’s already happened this year.”