"It’s a great feeling that their support for me brings the Filipino community together" - Eala continues to marvel in passionate Filipino support after determined comeback win

Alexandra Eala pulled off the incredible, and almost unthinkable, in the last-16 of the Abu Dhabi Open, coming back from a perilous deficit in the third set to pick up an astonishing 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) victory over Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

The lucky loser came flying out of the blocks in the early stages of the match, winning the first set in just over 30 mins with a crucial double break delivering the needed damage. It was an uphill task for Eala to stay in the match, with her hopeful array of supporters hoping for a determined comeback.

She managed to level up the match in the second set. After breaking back, she failed to take a number of break opportunities to take the form advantage, seeing the set looking like it may go the distance. Nevertheless, Eala managed to produce the goods late on, wrapping up the set with a four point spurt as both players sat on the brink of victory.

For Sasnovich, it looked like her voyage in Aby Dhabi would continue, She went 4-0 ahead before breaking the serve once more to sail into a commanding 5-2 advantage. It looked bleak for the Filipina, but she never lost hope. After surviving a solitary match point, she broke the serve to commence a four game winning streak to take her 6-5 in front. A tiebreak would be called upon with the Belarusian rueing missed opportunities. Eala would make her pay in a very tight tiebreak, winning three points on the spin from 5-4 down to take the victory and seal her spot in the quarter-final of the Abu Dhabi Open in debut.

Eala was very much delighted to comeback into the match, overcoming an array of obstaces to get the job done very much the hard way, “With a little bit of luck it went my way,” Eala stated after the match. “Sasnovich played a really good game so I’m happy with how I stayed in the fight, these matches can go either way so I’m very happy to come out on top."

When down a match point, her head could have dropped. However, she never gave up, making the victory all the more sweeter. “I was down match point and there was a lot of points where I could have given up and that’s what makes this win a lot more special."

It looked to be a desperate situation Eala was in, but as well as not giving up she kept her cool, showcasing the incredible mindset bestowed by the youngster. “It was tough at 5-2, she had a lot of momentum. I just had to take it point-by-point and feed into the energy from the stadium to help me push through.”

It was fair to say that she was very tired after the match, which lasted almost three hours. “Those types of matches take so much out of you, there was a lot of tension on that court and that was amplified by the super loud atmosphere,” Eala commented. “Having to stay extremely focused during the game means after match point you can finally release all the tension you have held in and that’s what happened to me out there, I was able to let go of my emotions at the end.”

Eala's fans have flocked from far and wide to get a glimpse of the teenage sensation, supporting her vigorously all around the world. The support in Australia and New Zealand was incredible with some insane scenes occurring despite the unfortunate results she would pick up Down Under.

The Filipino fans were once again at it, passionately cheering on their trailblazer through thick and thin, with Eala admitting they were a huge reason that she got over the line. “I’ve been in a lot of positions now where I have felt this incredible support, but I think this year it has really stepped up a notch,” she noted.

“The atmosphere in Abu Dhabi is incredible, along with family members who are expats in this region there’s also a lot of fans who are here as well so it’s a great feeling that their support for me brings the Filipino community together and they can share something that they’re excited about.”

It could not get much tougher in her net round, with Eala now set to play against the number two seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who is now the highest ranked player left in the tournament after the reigning champion Belinda Bencic withdrew due to illness.