Eala, Noskova dispute quarterfinal berth at Indian Wells

Linda Noskova and Alex Eala

AFP photos

MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala attempts to topple another giant in World No. 14 Linda Noskova of Czechia in a tall order of snatching a quarterfinal ticket in the Indian Wells Open Wednesday, March 11 (Manila time), at the Indian Wells Garden in California.

Eala, WTA No. 32, will be out to ride on the momentum of her win over No. 4 Coco Gauff when she locks horns with the Czech ace at 11 a.m. (Manila time).

The duel is set at the majestic Stadium 1 at the Tennis Paradise once again with a looming full capacity of over 16,000. It’s the second biggest tennis venue in the world, next only to the home of the US Open at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, where Eala eliminated Gauff the other day.

And expect the fired-up Filipina — once again buoyed by a throng of Filipinos in California — to smash it with guns ablaze for a shot at either world No. 7 Jasmine Paolini of Italy or Talia Gibson of Australia (No. 112) in the Last 8.

“I hope I can make the best out of the momentum,” said Eala in the post-match press conference following a huge 6-2, 2-0 (ret) triumph over the American star Gauff at home.

“Linda is an amazing player. She’s very powerful and very experienced even at such a young age. I’m excited so I’m gonna go in with a good preparation and a lot of motivation.”

Eala, 20, and Noskova, 21, are no strangers to each other after slugging it out in their junior days none bigger than the 2020 French Open girls’ singles, where the lefty Filipina ace pulled off a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback win.

Six years later, they meet again in the pros with much bigger stakes up for grabs.

“I think I’ve gained certain experience over the years to handle these high-pressure situations. It’s taken up a notch when you’re playing against big players and playing in big courts,” she added. “It’s a learning experience. What I try to do is just focus on the next thing that I have to do. I try not to think of the bigger picture and I focus on what I can control.”

Eala, seeded as 31st with a first-round bye, dominated Gauff in the first set and was leading two-to-love in the second before the American opted to call off the match due to a pain in her left arm. The Round 3 win served as a solid follow-up to Eala’s 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 win over No. 52 Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine in the second round.

For her part, Noskova pulled off a 6-7(5-7), 6-4, 6-4 revenge win on No. 38 Sorana Cirstea of Romania, who showed her an early exit door in the Round of 32 at the WTA1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where Eala made it to the Last 8.

Like Gauff, Noskova, with a career-best at No. 12 rating, boasts the upper hand with a higher ranking and deeper experience against Eala in all 1000-level tours, Grand Slams and Olympic appearances despite being only a year older.

But Eala will not be marching into battle alone.

“Maraming salamat mga kababayan. Sa lahat ng nanonood sa Pilipinas at sa lahat ng sumusuporta dito s California, maraming salamat at Happy International Women’s Day sa lahat ng babae back home. Kitakits po tayo sa Round 4,” she beamed.

Eala has enjoyed a massive support in every city she has not played this season so far and California is no different, billed as the biggest home state for Filipinos abroad at around two million.

On top of a quarterfinal berth, up for taking for Eala is a shot at Top 20-25 after jumping to No. 28 with 110 additional points for a new career-best according to the WTA live rankings.