Alex Eala Ready to Rumble with Coco Gauff Again — 'I Have to Dig Even Deeper This Time'
Pinay tennis star Alex Eala is gearing up for another shot at American powerhouse Coco Gauff in the WTA 1000 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. The round of 32 clash is set for Monday at the iconic 16,000-seater Stadium 1, and the world No. 32 Filipina says she's ready for war.
This is a rematch from the Dubai Tennis Championships just three weeks ago, where Gauff — currently ranked world No. 4 — demolished Eala 6-0, 6-2. But Eala isn't letting that scoreline mess with her head. After a gutsy three-set win against Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska (7-5, 4-6, 7-5) in her opening round, the 21-year-old Filipina knows she can dig deep when it counts.
"It's not my first huge match," said Eala, who interestingly partnered with Gauff in doubles at last year's Italian Open, where they reached the quarterfinals. "I think it's definitely going to be tough. Coco is an amazing player and she's playing at home so I'm expecting a big crowd to rally behind her."
Gauff herself had a shaky outing in her last match, needing to claw back from 2-5 and 5-6 deficits in the second set before ousting qualifier Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 7-6(5). The American, who turns 22 on March 13, said she trusts her return game and fitness to power through tight matches.
For Eala — the pride of Philippine tennis — this is exactly the kind of stage that can catapult her even higher in the rankings. Win or lose, going toe-to-toe with a top-5 player on the biggest courts in women's tennis is the experience that separates good players from great ones. Laban, Alex!
Source: The Manila Times
