Eala’s ‘tricky game’ makes Swiatek cautious in their intriguing tiebreaker

Alex Eala is in third round. —WIMBLEDON PHOTO

Alex Eala will be moving on from one of the most painful defeats in her young career and will be thrust straight into a collision with one of the world’s best in the modern tennis time where the Filipino wonder gets the chance to validate one of her biggest wins.

A 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 win over Maya Joint at the All-England Club on Thursday night in Manila shoved Eala into the third round of Wimbledon where she faces defending champion Iga Swiatek, who Eala will face on grass for the first time.

The victory over the Aussie Joint avenged a finals loss in Eastbourne last year, a defeat that sent Eala to tears during the swarding ceremonies which endeared her to fans even more.

On Thursday night, Eala was again emotional, but this time, because of a hard win she carved out by digging deep after Joint won the first set with ease.

“I lost and I cried a lot,” Eala said after the win, referring to that previous setback. “I don’t think I was able to watch those highlights for months. “I’m glad I can now look back at that loss and I’m able to smile.”

Of course, Eala had to work to become a better player and be ready for the rematch.

“I have been working really hard,” the 21-year-old said. “My team has been working extremely hard, and I really feel like it’s paying off.”

Ranked 29th at Wimbledon, Eala will be looking to extend her run in the biggest grass court event in the world. She tumbled out of the first round last year and an upset of Swiatek would put their side of the draw in disarray.

Swiatek, the Pole who was world No. 1 for several stretches, was a footnote of Eala’s dramatic rise to global stardom in a hardcourt tournament Miami last year.

But Swiatek has since gotten back at Eala, as she rallied from a set down in the French Open.

A six-time Grand Slam champ, Swiatek dismantled another former world No. 1 in Karolina Pliskova, the 2019 finalist, 6-1, 6-3, to seal the match with Eala. And she will approach that collision with caution.

“I don’t particularly know her game on grass,” Swiatek said of Eala. “Obviously, you can watch a little bit. But I know how she plays because we’ve played already.

“She has a tricky game,” Swiatek said. “I can assume on grass that it’s even more tricky because of the surface. For sure she’s using her strengths, the change of rhythm and everything.”

Possibly the most popular player on tour since her rise, Eala, though, has shown that she has never been intimidated by anyone.

Proof of this was another deep run in the WTA 500 event in Berlin, where she claimed the scalps of world No. 2 Elena Rybakina and No. 8 Elina Svitolina before bowing out in the semifinals. INQ