Alex Eala marches to second round of Madrid Open by beating Pavlyuchenkova

MANILA, April 23 ------ Filipina tennis star Alex Eala is through to the second round of the Madrid Open after a comprehensive victory over Russian veteran Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Eala, ranked 44th in the world, scored an impressive 6-3, 6-3 result in an hour and 31 minutes to reach the second round in Madrid for the third year in a row. It was a strong performance from the Filipina star, as she took care of business against the 34-year-old Pavlyuchenkova -- a former Grand Slam finalist and a gold medalist in mixed doubles in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics who has nonetheless struggled so far in the season. "Like I said, I think at this level, every match is a battle," said Eala afterward. "All of us players, we fight until the end. "She (Pavlyuchenkova) has been on tour for many years. So I'm really happy with this win. She's a great player, and I'm really happy to be in the next round," she added.

Eala and Pavlyuchenkova went toe-to-toe in the opening set, with the Filipina holding in the fourth game for a 2-2 deadlock. She then broke Pavlyuchenkova to love for a 3-2 lead, an advantage that proved pivotal. The Russian took a medical timeout before returning with her right thigh strapped. The break in action did not sap Eala's momentum, as she held for a 4-2 advantage before Pavlyuchenkova responded in the next game to trim the deficit, 4-3. But Eala showed great poise in saving two break points and holding for a 5-3 lead. Pavlyuchenkova succumbed to her errors in the ninth game, with a double fault handing Eala the opener. The veteran committed a whopping 22 unforced errors in the first set.

Eala continued to dictate the pace of the match in the second set, jumping to a 3-1 advantage before Pavlyuchenkova finally broke her serve. The Filipina responded in spectacular fashion, breaking Pavlyuchenkova to love and then holding to love for a commanding 5-2 advantage. She closed out the match in her first opportunity, with another error from Pavlyuchenkova wrapping up the contest. The veteran finished the match with 39 unforced errors.

After her triumph, Eala further endeared herself to the crowd at the Caja Mágica by answering some questions in Spanish. Eala said that she felt at home in Madrid, expressing her joy in competing at the Spanish capital and the comfort she feels each time she returns. "I love Madrid, it's an amazing tournament," added Eala. "I'm here almost eight years, so my Spanish gets better."

She drew more cheers from the crowd when she said that her goal is to not feel afraid to speak Spanish. Up next for Eala is a showdown against 19th seed Elise Mertens, who had received a bye into the second round. Pavlyuchenkova made it to the main draw after beating Viktoriya Tomova, 6-3, 6-2, and Yuliia Starodubtseva, 6-4, 0-6, 6-4, in the qualifying rounds. The Russian had struggled early in the season, dropping all six of her matches before the Madrid Open. Eala will also be in action in doubles, where she will team up with close friend Zeynep Somnez against the pair of Taiwanese Chan Hao-ching and Hungarian Fanny Stollár.

In ATP action at the Caja Magica, 2021 Madrid finalist Matteo Berrettini crashed out to Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic 6-3, 6-4. Meanwhile, former US Open champion Marin Cilic claimed his first Madrid Open win since 2022 with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 performance against world number 44 Zizou Bergs. It was the 37-year-old Croatian’s first top-50 victory on clay in four years and it earned him a second-round meeting with Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com