Posted by ReyFort Media
INDIAN WELLS, California (UPDATED) — Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala advanced to the round of 16 of the BNP Paribas Open after her opponent, American star Coco Gauff, retired with an arm injury.
Eala had won the first set 6-2 and was leading 2-0 in the second when Gauff called it a night.
Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion, had already received treatment on her left arm during an injury timeout.
“I really didn’t want to win this way,” said Eala, who progressed to the third round with a tough three-set win against Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska last Saturday.
“But this is still a really big moment for me, to be able to play in Stadium 1 of Indian Wells, and against such a great competitor,” she added. “I’m really grateful to be here, and super happy.”
The 20-year-old Eala had played much better against Gauff than when they first faced off in Dubai last month, where the American cruised to a 6-0, 6-2 triumph.
They traded breaks early in the opening set before Eala seized the momentum, holding for the first time to take a 3-2 lead. She then capitalized on a string of errors from Gauff, including multiple double faults, to pad her advantage.
Eala utilized a variety of shots, including well-timed drops at the net, to keep the American off-balance. She broke again to extend the lead to 4-2, at which point Gauff took a lengthy medical timeout to receive treatment on her left shoulder and arm.
Gauff soldiered on but struggled with her serve, and her costly double faults helped Eala seize the opener.
The Filipina carried that momentum to the second set, where she built a 2-0 advantage. At that point, Gauff went to the net and told Eala that she was calling it a day, having dropped her serve in the second game.
Eala hailed Gauff as a “role model” after the match, as she also paid tribute to female trailblazers on International Women’s Day.
“First and foremost, I want to say Happy Women’s Day, everybody,” she said. “I want to say thank you to all the incredible women who have paved the way for other women, among them is Coco.”
“Thank you, Coco, for being an amazing competitor and amazing role model. I really hope that everything is well and that you would recover soon,” she added.
Eala will face Czech Linda Noskova for a place in the quarter-finals.
Another huge crowd had packed Stadium 1 for Eala’s showdown against Gauff and the Filipina was again effusive in her gratitude.
“Mabuhay, mga kababayan, andito tayo sa California!” said Eala. “Maraming salamat sa suport, at magkita tayo sa next round.” (T.J Manotoc with Agence France-Presse/abs-cbn)
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