Eala hoists Abu Dhabi Open singles QF berth with comeback win vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich

From first-set wobbles to final-set authority, Alex Eala turned doubt into dominance.

Though cracks showed within the opening frame, Eala’s early tremors faded and regained her A-game after dispatching Belarusian foe Aliaksandra Sasnovich via a 2–6, 6–4, 7–6(5) comeback to book a quarterfinal ticket in the Abu Dhabi Open singles at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Center, UAE, Feb. 4.

The Filipina ace almost let victory slip through his fingers twice after absorbing a first-set loss and a crushing 0–4 hole in the final frame, but she was able to pull off a stunner in the payoff period to seal the deal.

Sasnovich surged off with a strong start as she kept firing at all angles, garnering an overwhelming 31–18 cushion in winners at the opening stanza—which gave Eala no space to breathe, ultimately enabling the Belarusian bet to draw first blood.

Shifting the gears, the world No. 45 then focused on prolonging rallies which produced 19 Sasnovich unforced errors, allowing the Filipina bet to tie the second set at 4-all and break her opposition’s serve to spark the comeback journey.

The world No. 109 was determined to bury Eala’s quarterfinals hopes in the final canto as she relied on her first serves to steamroll towards a 4–0 game hole, giving the gutsy Filipina no room for error.

However, Eala unfurled her wings when it mattered the most.

The 20-year-old then crawled her way back towards the winning path as she overcame a 2–5 hurdle, refusing to fold after neutralizing Sasnovich’s match-point serve and securing the much-needed game.

Eala then revved up her engines and steered en route a 5-all game score thanks to her break points, ultimately sustaining the momentum to secure the next two games and completely flipping the script to conclude the three-hour action-packed match.

With the hard-fought triumph, action continues as Eala locks horns with the second-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia in the Abu Dhabi Open singles quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, the Pinay mainstay’s quest for glory in the doubles’ category is still ongoing as she and Indonesia’s Janice Tjen look to take down the dyad of Chinese troop Zhang Shuai and Spain bet Cristina Busca in the same event.