RACE AGAINST TIME

With the Washington Open going the distance, Alex Eala is locked in a grueling race against time as she still has to travel to Toronto for the Canadian Open that kicked off on Sunday.

The 21-year-old Filipina was supposed to wrap up her stint in the American capital but inclement weather washed out her finale against world No. 3 Jessica Pegula on Monday (Manila time).

The match was called off with Eala leading in the second set, 2-1, after yielding a 4-6 loss in the first set. Now, they are still clashing at press time to determine who will bring home the title in this prestigious Women’s Tennis Association 500 tournament.

But in a phone conversation with DAILY TRIBUNE, Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) executive director Tonette Mendoza said she is confident Eala will be able to adjust accordingly, adding that organizers of the Canadian Open, a WTA 1000-level competition, understand the situation since both she and Pegula are slated to fly to Toronto right after their championship clash.

After all, both Eala and Pegula earned first-round byes in the Canadian Open being among the top 32 in the WTA rankings.

“Actually, both Jessica and Alex are scheduled to play in the Toronto tournament. But because they’re finalists here, tournament organizers can make adjustments to their schedules,” Mendoza said.

“I know Alex is supposed to play on Wednesday, but they can move the match if necessary since she’s still competing in the final.”

Mendoza said the suspension of their Washington Open finale against the American powerhouse could work to Eala’s advantage.

“Normally, the one who loses momentum is the player who won the first set. Jessica already has one set, but now she’ll have to restart after a break of more than 24 hours,” said Mendoza, who was one of the millions of Filipinos who stayed up until dawn to cheer on Eala.

“Of course, the player who wins the opening set usually wants to finish the match immediately. Alex, on the other hand, is very quick to adjust. Even if she’s behind, she has shown she can come back. So, I hope the delay works in her favor.”

Eala slayed several giants to move closer to her first ever WTA 500 title.

First, she upset Paris Olympics gold medalist Qinwen Zheng of China, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, in the Round of 32 before dethroning Filipino-Canadian Leylah Fernandez, 6-2, 7-6, in the Last 16. Eala continued her winning ways as she reasserted her mastery over world No. 10 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, 6-3, 6-4, in the quarterfinals.

But her biggest win of the tournament was a 6-4, 6-2 victory over former world No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka of Japan in the semifinals.

With her deep run, Eala is tipped to climb to No. 24 in the WTA rankings while being guaranteed to take home $155,000, or about P9.4 million. If she wins it all, she will pocket $252,000 — or roughly P15.3 million — on top of her first ever WTA crown.

Eala said her coach, Joan Bosch, urged her to keep going and not worry too much about her next tournament.

“He said that I just have to keep going because if I’m there for every ball, I’ll have my chances,” Eala said.

“And I did. Like always, he’s right. I think it helps me feel like I’m not alone on court.”