Facing Alex Eala was like staring into a mirror for Filipino-Canadian star Leylah Fernandez.
The 23-year-old Fernandez admitted that pulling off a win in the Round of 32 of the Stuttgart Open wasn’t easy as she had to constantly remind herself to stay sharp en route to cruising a 6-1, 6-4 victory over the Filipina superstar.
“Honestly, it’s what my coach told me at 0-30, 5-4. He said, ‘she’s not going to go down easy, as you can see. She’s going to fight. You’re going to have to take the match,’” said Fernandez, who wrapped up the win in one hour and 28 minutes on Tuesday at the Porsche Arena.
“So, it was like a mirror. It’s exactly like you, so just enjoy, figure it out, and have fun.”
The 2021 US Open finalist said Eala’s pace stood out, something she had already noticed years ago while watching her train at the Rafael Nadal Academy.
“I remember watching her play a couple of years back at the Rafa Nadal Academy, and she was playing super fast. I remember telling my coach at the time, ‘wow, she plays quick,’” said Fernandez after her first ever encounter with Eala.
With the win, Fernandez advanced to the Round of 16, where she will face either world No. 8 Jasmine Paolini of Italy or No. 79 Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey.
On the other hand, Eala walked away with valuable experience — and a payday of 11,309 euros, or roughly P800,000 — after making the main draw of the prestigious WTA 500 event.
Bigger battles, however, lie ahead for the world No. 45 Eala.
After Stuttgart, she will continue her clay-court campaign at the Madrid Open starting 20 April, followed by the Italian Open from 5 to 17 May.
Her biggest test comes at the French Open, where she made her Grand Slam main draw debut last year at the Roland Garros Stadium from 18 May to 7 June. She is aiming for a better showing after a first-round exit against Emiliana Arango of Colombia.
The climb only gets steeper for Eala as she rubs shoulders with the sport’s elite, including world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, and No. 3 Iga Swiatek of Poland.
“I’m very proud to be able to do that for my country. Then again, it’s about balance. I’m focused when I need to be focused,” Eala said.
“I’m very professional. It’s my first year on tour, but I feel I’m able to handle these things really well. I know that if I don’t put in the work, everything else won’t follow. You put in the work, and then things will follow.”