Alex Eala closes in on Wimbledon main draw after big win

FILE– Filipino tennis player Alex Eala is vying to advance to the Wimbledon main draw. -VENETO OPEN/RAFA NADAL ACADEMY

Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala just moved a win away from entering the main draw of Wimbledon.

Eala beat Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia, 1-6, 7-6(9), 6-3 in a marathon match in the second round of the Wimbledon qualifiers on Wednesday, pushing her closer to a pro Grand Slam debut.

READ: Alex Eala hits biggest pro career win at Madrid Open over world no. 41

Eala battled back from a first-set loss and saved eight match points to force a decider against her higher-ranked opponent, who was seeded No. 14 in the qualifiers.

Now standing in the way of a historic Wimbledon stint is Lulu Sun of New Zealand. Their match is on Thursday night, Philippine time.

Sun won 6-4 4-6 7-6 (6) Czech Republic’s Gabriela Knutson to advance against Eala.

READ: Alex Eala rises to new-career best in WTA rankings

Eala, the first Filipino to capture a singles’ Grand Slam by ruling the 2022 US Open girls singles, opened the Wimbledon qualifiers with a  7-6, 6-4 win on Tuesday over France’s Jessika Ponchet.

In May, the 19-year-old Eala also closed in on a main draw berth in the French Open but yielded to Julia Riera of Argentina in the final round.

Eala is currently ranked world No. 162.