She is making it to the tournament’s third round.
On Saturday, March 7, Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala returned to the hard court with her debut match at the BNP Paribas Indian Wells Open in California, USA.
The 20-year-old faced off with Ukranian player Dayana Yastremska in the match that lasted nearly two hours in front of a large Filipino crowd that came down to the venue to witness the country’s representative in action.
The game did not lack in intensity and thrill as the two players attempted to outlast each other from the get-go. Eventually, the current World No. 32, Eala, took home the victory over the World No. 52 with the final score reading 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.
With her win, the Filipina player is heading to the next round of the competition, the Round of 32, where she will meet both a familiar foe inside the court and a friend outside—Coco Gauff.
The said match, which happens on Monday, March 9, will be their next match-up after the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates in February.
That match saw Eala take on a loss after Gauff secured leadership in the game, 6-2, 6-0.
Following the game, Eala took to Instagram to share her congratulatory message to Gauff, writing: “Congrats [Coco]. Love sharing the court with you, always learn a lot.”
