By Florenda Corpuz
TOKYO – Alex Eala beat Australia’s Talia Gibson, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0, on Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, drawing support from Filipino fans in Tokyo along the way.
The eighth-seeded Filipina dropped the first set but took the next two to win the match at the WTA 500 tournament.
Afterward, Eala said she kept reminding herself that she had chances to turn things around.
“Sinasabi ko lang sa sarili ko na ang dikit kasi ng first set, eh. And nagkaroon din ako ng mga chances,” she said at a post-match conference.
“So kung patuloy lang yung paglalaban ko at yung focus, magkakaroon din ako ulit,” she added.
The 21-year-old said the improvement came gradually, with small adjustments making a difference as the match went on.
“I definitely think it was a gradual increase in level, and maybe just a couple of small details that, in the end, when accumulated, make a big difference,” she said.
She also spoke about the Filipino fans who came to watch her play.
“Of course, the support helps a lot, all the time. It creates a great atmosphere, and I think there was a good back-and-forth within the crowd,” she told Filipino-Japanese Journal.
Eala will meet third seed Diana Shnaider on Oct. 30. Shnaider defeated her, 7-5, 6-4, at the Ningbo Open in China last week.
The Filipina ace said she was excited to reach the quarterfinals in Tokyo, where she has enjoyed the support of the Filipino community.
“Siyempre, sobrang excited. Nasa quarters ulit ako. And lalo na dito sa Tokyo, dami-daming Pinoy. And ang ganda ng atmosphere, support,” she said.
“At siyempre, malakas yung kalaban. So handa akong mag-recover, tapos laban ulit.”
