Filipino fans waited over two hours for Alex Eala’s maiden appearance at Indian Wells, delayed by a long, drawn-out match earlier on her schedule.
The wait, however, was well worth it.
The rising Filipina tennis star made a gritty debut at the tournament often dubbed the “fifth Grand Slam,” overcoming world No. 52 Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, United States on Saturday (Manila time).
Seeded for the first time in a WTA 1000 event, Eala struggled initially with Yastremska’s powerful groundstrokes, falling behind 2-1 after being broken in the third game of the opening set.
Staying patient, Eala extended rallies and forced her opponent into unforced errors.
The 20-year-old Filipina seized the lead in the fifth game and extended it to 5-3.
Yastremska fought back to level at 5-5, but Eala held serve in the 11th game before breaking again to take the first set, 7-5.
The 25-year-old Yastremska, who reached a career-high ranking of 21 in 2020, then showed the form that once made her one of the most promising young prospects in the world.
She broke Eala in the first game of the second set and surged to a 4-1 lead.
Eala rallied to take the next two games, narrowing the gap to 4-3, but Yastremska clinched two of the final three games to claim the set, forcing a decisive third set.
The third set became a true test of character. The first eight games went with the server, but Yastremska broke in the ninth to take a 5-4 lead.
Eala responded under pressure, leveling at 5-5 and then holding serve to go up 6-5.
With Yastremska serving to push the set to a tiebreak, Eala battled through six deuces before converting her fourth match point to break Yastremska for the seventh time, sealing the victory.
This wasn’t the pair’s first encounter, though. Eala had previously defeated Yastremska handily, 6-1, 6-2, in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Eastbourne Open.
Eala will now advance to the third round for a rematch against fourth seed Coco Gauff of the United States, who defeated her 6-0, 6-2 at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships on February 19.
Before that, Eala will return to the court on Sunday in the doubles event, teaming up with American teen Iva Jovic.
They will face former US Open doubles champion and French Open singles champion Jelena Ostapenko and Hailey Baptiste of the United States in the opening round.
