BONA FIDE STAR

Never did Alex Eala think she would one day clash with four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka of Japan.

Now in the Washington Open semifinal, the 21-year-old Eala not only has a chance to share the court with the 28-year-old Osaka but also continue her magical run.

Eala said facing the Japanese netter and former world No. 1 in a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) competition has been surreal as she goes up against one of her idols.

Both Eala and Osaka are competing in the semifinal as of press time at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park, Washington, D.C.

“It means a lot. It’s the semifinal of a WTA 500 tournament, and of course, playing Naomi makes it even more special,” Eala said in an interview with Tennis Channel.

“She’s such an accomplished player and has made waves both on and off the court for such a long time. I’m really excited for this matchup.”

Coming off a stunning 6-3, 6-4 victory over world No. 10 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, Eala said there is no secret to her success — only hard work and mental toughness.

It was these traits that propelled Eala through the Washington Open, opening her campaign with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng of China in the Round of 32 before dethroning Filipino-Canadian Leylah Fernandez, 6-4, 7-5, in the Last 16.

“Training, preparation, practice, practice, practice. A good mentality, a will to win, a will to endure, and trying to find solutions. That’s what I strive for,” Eala said.

“I can’t say that I’m perfect at it — I’m definitely far from perfect — but that’s what I strive to be.”

Even Fernandez, who is tied with Eala after each won one match against the other, admitted Eala’s trajectory cannot be ignored as she continues her rise on the WTA Tour.

“Honestly, Alex has been playing really well. I think the biggest thing is that she’s playing with a lot of confidence. She’s trusting herself, trusting her shots, her patterns, and a lot of her balls are going in,” Fernandez said.

“So that’s the big difference. I feel like she’s progressing well. Whatever she’s doing with her team is working, yeah.”

“It was tough, it was tough, but good. I’m really, really happy. I had fun out there. I think it was a great battle, so I’m really happy,” Eala said.

Eala is already set to reach a new career-high ranking in the WTA as she is poised to climb as high as No. 25.

Should Eala prevail over Osaka, she will reach her second WTA 500 final since the Eastbourne Open last year in Great Britain, where she lost to world No. 76 Maya Joint of Australia.

Eala will face the winner of the match between world No. 3 Jessica Pegula and world No. 18 Diana Shnaider of Russia.

The Filipina tennis sensation will have a golden opportunity to avenge her Miami Open loss to Pegula last year should their paths cross in the final.

Meanwhile, Eala and Shnaider will meet for the first time if they clash for the Washington Open trophy.

Regardless of what happens in the Washington Open, Eala will still compete at the Canadian Open in Toronto, where she earned a first-round bye.