Eala faces Wang on hopes of snapping second-round dry spell in clay court
ALEXANDRA 鈥淎LEX鈥 EALA faces Xinyu Wang of China with hopes of finally hurdling a second-round dry spell in the Internazionali BNL D鈥橧talia (Italian Open) at the Foro Italico Sports Complex in Rome.
The 20-year-old Filipina had not gotten past the second round in her three previous clay tournaments, taking a crack at it once again on Friday as she enters the final buildup for the French Open later this month.
鈥淪ometimes, one match can change a lot, especially for me in clay that鈥檚 not my strongest surface so every match is really a battle,鈥 said the WTA No. 42 Ms. Eala after a 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 win over Poland鈥檚 Magdalena Frech in the Round of 128.
鈥淭his is my first season that I have played in many high-level clay tournaments. I鈥檓 trying to find my footing and I know I can do well. I鈥檓 a better player physically and mentally than I was last year.鈥
That preparation will be tested in the Round of 64 against Ms. Wang, who gained a first-round bye as WTA No. 33 and No. 31 seed in the 1000-level Italian tour.
But more than a bid to finally reach the third round of a clay tilt, Ms. Eala has some unfinished business to settle against the 24-year-old Chinese, who denied her a finals appearance in the WTA 250 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand with a 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 semis comeback triumph.
Ms. Eala earned a shot at Ms. Wang after recovering just in the nick of time against the WTA No. 45 Ms. Frech.
She scored a bagel in the first but failed to finish off the seasoned Pole in the second before breaking away from a 3-all tie in the rubber for the win in two hours and seven minutes.
Before Rome, Ms. Eala exited the Upper Austria Ladies Linz Open in Austria (second round), the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany (first round) and the Mutua Madrid Open (second round).
She will have two more clay campaigns in the qualifiers of the WTA 500 Internationaux de Strasbourg Open on May 17 to 23 in France and in the main draw of WTA 125 Parma Ladies Open in Rome鈥檚 neighboring city on May 12 to 17 before the Roland Garros in Paris on May 24 to June 7.
But first things first for the Pinay tennis pride and that鈥檚 to smash a deep campaign in Rome.
鈥淚鈥檓 happy in this match and hopefully, the things that we鈥檙e working on with my team will reflect soon. Everybody is really good at this level and anything can happen. That鈥檚 the beauty of tennis,鈥 she beamed. 鈥 John Bryan Ulanday
