By Camille Villan
MANILA — Alex Eala authored another defining moment in her rising career after stunning world No. 2 Elena Rybakina, 7-5, 6-4, in a gripping Berlin Open clash on Friday.
The Filipina ace from Quezon City showed poise beyond her years as she weathered early pressure from the two-time Grand Slam champion before flipping the momentum in a match that tested both power and patience.
Rybakina came out strong, breaking early and building a 4-1 cushion in the opening set. But Eala refused to fade, finding rhythm on return games and punishing errors, including double faults, to claw her way back into contention.
A sharp break in the seventh game sparked her comeback, and she followed it with confident serving to draw level. As the set tightened at 5-5, Eala struck again with a decisive break in the 11th game before holding firm to take the set after a marathon battle.
The second set followed a similar pattern of control shifting in Eala’s favor. An early break gave her a 3-1 edge, and she never looked back, dictating rallies and consistently pressuring Rybakina’s second serve.
Eala’s ability to capitalize on those moments proved decisive, as she outperformed the Kazakh star in second-serve points and maintained composure through the closing games.
With the straight-sets victory, Eala continues her impressive run and moves on to a quarterfinal showdown against world No. 6 Elina Svitolina.
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