HUNGARIAN netter Panna Udvardy fought back from three games down in the second set to upset top-seeded Filipina netter Alex Eala, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, on Thursday in the women’s singles Round of 16 at the Women’s Tennis Association 125-level Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal.
Eala committed a net error when she returned a long volley from Udvardy for the final match point (ad-40), off their one hour and 49 minute long encounter.
With the win, Udvardy advanced to the quarterfinals, while Eala crashed out of the tournament, but will bring home a purse totalling 2835 euros (P182,533) for her effort.
It was a tiring encounter between Eala and Udvardy, who broke the Filipina in the 12th game of the first to force a tiebreak, and took a 5-2 lead after she stood her ground with her solid baseline game.
The 143rd-ranked Udvardy then fell behind, 1-4, after Eala went strong with her baseline game in the second set.
But the 26-year-old Udvardy found her strength after engaging the Filipina in a series of long exchanges in the first five games of the second set.
With Eala tiring out, Udvardy broke her serve twice and held the Filipina to a deuce in the 10th game of the second set.
Udvardy took the final point after Eala netted a forehand return shot.
Earlier, Eala and Katie Volynets fell to the fourth-seeded pair of Carmen Corley and Christina Rosca of the US, 6-3, 6-4, on Wednesday night (Philippine time).
Eala earned a share of 960 euros with Volynets in their doubles’ partnership.