By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Alex Eala kicked off her Mutua Madrid Open campaign with a bang after pulling off a massive upset victory over world no. 41 ranked female player Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine- 2.6, 6.4, 6.4- on April 23, 2024, at the Caja Magica in Manzanares Park, Spain.
Despite facing a more experienced star, the Filipina tennis sensation entered the Round of 128 matchup unfazed and went toe-to-toe with the Ukrainian ace.
However, Eala needed to bring her A-game against Tsurenko and banked on a majestic performance in the last two sets to earn a huge victory.
Eala had to dig deep after trailing early, 0-1, when Tsurenko used all of her court mastery advantage against the younger Filipina.
Aside from Tsurenko’s veteran experience that rose to the occasion, the Ukrainian star capitalized on Eala’s unforced errors that rewarded her with several freebie points.
During the second set, Eala just flipped the switch and changed the complexion of the match when she scored her first break point.
After breaking Tsurenko’s service possession, Eala would hold her serve in the next sequence to equalize the match at 1-1.
Eager to get back into the match and neutralize Eala’s chance of grabbing full momentum, Tsurenko played a more aggressive approach so start the third and final set.
However, Tsurenko’s plan still failed after Eala fought fire with fire and dominated the baseline rally exchanges with her signature down-the-line forehand winners.
With the win, Eala just punched a ticket to the Round of 64 stage of the tournament in Spain and is hoping for another upset as she faces world no. 27 Sorana Cirstea from Romania.
