Alexandra Eala has shown early in her career that she has a flair for the dramatic. Between marathon matches and stunning upsets, she has made a habit of keeping tennis fans on their toes.
She did it again Thursday. The 21-year-old shocked World No. 2 Elena Rybakina in straight sets, rallying from a break down in the opener to win 7-5, 6-4 in 1 hour and 32 minutes and match her career-best win by ranking. The victory sends her into the Berlin quarterfinals in her tournament debut.
“I am a little foggy right now,” Eala said in her on-court interview. “I’m still shaking, and I was shaking on match point, too. But I’m really happy with today, of course. It could have gone either way. I think there were really tight moments in both sets, and she’s an amazing player. She’s the one to beat, so I’m happy to have been able to share the court with her again.”
It was the second WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz meeting between Eala and Rybakina, and the head-to-head now sits at one win apiece. The result also marks Eala’s fifth career Top 10 victory — all in straight sets — with four of those coming against Top 5 opponents.
More to come…