Alexandra Eala once again showcased her undying spirit earlier today, coming from a break down in the third set to defeat Dayana Yastremska.
It was a gruelling encounter, pitting the hard-hitting Ukrainian against the relentless Filipina sensation.
And, once again backed by a wild crowd, the latter came out on top.
As a reward for her triumph, Alexandra Eala will now be tasked with trying to overcome Coco Gauff once again, less than a month after losing heavily to her in Dubai.
The 20-year-old has spoken about the prospect of facing the top-ranked American in California.
Alex Eala discusses having to face Coco Gauff again at Indian Wells
Chatting at her press conference following her hard-fought win, Eala was in high spirits.
However, she kept her cards close to her chest when discussing her upcoming match against Gauff, having been heavily beaten last time out, 6-0, 6-2.
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She began by insisting she was excited about the prospect, noting: “No, I’m excited, like I said the other day when you asked me. It was a tough match for me last time. I think she played really well. So all I can do is take the learnings that I have from our last match and try to implement that in our next one, yeah.”
Eala would then build on that, touching on the challenges she might have to tackle whilst facing an American in her home country.
She added: “Well, it’s not my first huge match. I think it’s definitely going to be a tough one. Coco is an amazing player and playing at home. I’m expecting, you know, a big crowd to rally behind her just because she’s amazing.
“But it’s like every other match. You know, today I had to dig really deep, so I’m expecting that the next match I have to do even more, you know. So I’m ready, and I’m looking forward to it, yeah.”
Eala’s chances of going deep at Indian Wells have been boosted already after the schedulers made a smart decision regarding the placement of her upcoming doubles match with Iva Jovic.
Alex Eala proves why she’s one of tennis’ most clutch players
Eala never seems to make matches easy for herself, but that is part of her charm.
If you’re lucky enough to squeeze yourself into a stadium where she is playing, you can always expect drama.
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Tonight was no different.
Despite taking the opening set, it was Yastremska who seemed on track to claim the victory, having won the second set and led the third by a single break.
However, as she served for the match, Eala produced some of her most fearless tennis, then went on to hold serve and break again to claim the match.
