Alex Eala erased a huge deficit in Set 3 to complete a stunning 2-6, 6-4, 7(7)-6(5) comeback win against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus in their Round of 16 clash at the Abu Dhabi Open on Thursday.
Eala will advance to the quarterfinals against second-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova, currently ranked no. 11 by the WTA.
The game looked lost at one point, but the 20-year-old Eala showed remarkable resilience, rallying against her 31-year-old opponent to secure a come-from-behind win.
Eala found herself in a 4–0 hole in the third set, with Sasnovich winning nearly every point and giving the Filipina little chance to convert.
Sasnovich moved ahead after Eala committed a late error in the ninth game to allow her opponent to take a 5–4 lead. But Eala retaliated by winning the next two games, turning the tide and setting up her own match point at 6–5 with a blistering serve that overpowered the Belarusian ace.
Sasnovich held in the next game to force a tiebreak, which she initially controlled after racing to a 5–4 match point.
Unfazed by the moment, Eala ripped a fierce backhand past Sasnovich, then closed out the match as the Belarusian faltered with another error.
—JMB, GMA Integrated News