ALEX Eala achieved a significant victory in her professional career by starting her campaign in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Mutua Madrid Open on a high note. 

In a surprising turn of events, Eala, a wildcard entrant with a world ranking of No.170, managed to defeat Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine, who is ranked No. 41 in the WTA. The match took place in Madrid, Spain, and ended with a score of 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.

In a recent Facebook post, Eala expressed her joy and enthusiasm after this remarkable victory in her career. Despite being behind by one set, she managed to surprise her experienced opponent and secure the win.

“Third times the charm. A first round win here in @mutuamadridopen!! First WTA1000 main draw win hehe. Vamoss! Pumped to go back for round 2,” said Eala in a post. 

Eala’s incredible opening run

Eala had to dig deep to bounce back after dropping the first set. In the second frame, she managed to secure consecutive victories, giving her a comfortable 2-0 advantage.

Despite Tsurenko’s efforts to level the set and create a tie at 4-4, the 18-year-old managed to win two more games and bring the match to a third-set decider, equalizing the score at 1-1. 

In the last round, Eala made an impressive comeback after being behind 3-4. She won three consecutive games, causing Tsurenko, who has more experience, to be eliminated from the tournament.

“It was a very tough match. I’m super happy that I was able to hold on and come back after losing the first set. I played really well towards the end. I stayed composed till the end,” she said in  an interview with ABS-CBN News. 

“Having a positive mentality really helped and focusing point by point. Before the match we discussed I should have good intensity and good body language. I think thats what got me through the tough times during the match,” she added. 

Photo Courtesy: Alex Eala | Facebook

Her recent victory could be a significant turning point for her career, following a series of disappointing early exits in her previous IT tournaments. 

Nevertheless, she is poised to take on another formidable opponent in the second round, going head-to-head with No.27 Sorana Cirstea of Romania. 

In the face of formidable opponents and players with higher rankings, Eala fearlessly seized her opportunities and gave her all on the court. She embraced the power of determination to achieve limitless possibilities. 

“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who you play. When you play these big players you can’t think about who they are or what they’ve done,” she said.

“This match turned the season around so in the next match I don’t have anything to lose so I’m going to give it my all, try to go in with the same mindset as today,” she said. 

Eala has her sights set on the French Open qualifiers later this month, where she hopes to improve her ranking and secure a spot in the Paris Olympics.