Filipina sensation Alex Eala fought back from a set down to ease out top seed Hailey Baptiste of the United States, 6-7, 7-6, 6-1, on Sunday evening (Manila time).
This allowed the 20-year old Eala to qualify for the Eastbourne Open’s main draw in the United Kingdom.
Eala’s toughness in the second set tiebreak saw her holding off Baptiste in a contest that lasted for as long as two hours and 47 minutes.
Russian pro Kamilla Rakhimova joined Eala in reaching the main draw after disposing of British bet Heather Watson, 6-4, 6-1.
The world no. 56 Baptiste fought back from a four-point deficit, to threaten 4-5, before Eala took the last two points to win the second set.
With the momentum on her side in the last set, Eala never let go of her edge, breaking Baptiste thrice to build a commanding 5-0 advantage.
In the end, Eala put 37 points of her 74 first serves.
The Filipina netter from Quezon City also scored 10 points on 18 service breaks.
Eala earlier sustained the momentum she gained in the first set to upend Turkish Zeynep Sonmez in round one of the qualifiers, 6-1, 6-3, on Saturday night.
Her participation is part of her buildup for her professional Grand Slam tournament at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships in London.
