World no. 4 Coco Gauff’s clinical approach saw her ease Filipina sensation Alex Eala out of contention, 6-0, 6-2, on Friday past midnight (Manila time).
This came with Gauff’s display of intensity, experience and precision early on in getting past the 20-year old Eala in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
”Thank you guys, for coming out here today. I know you’re mostly supporting her. But I have to say it is great to be on a crowded court. I played this tournament for many years, and to see the stadium full, it means a lot,” said Gauff, as she paid tribute to the supportive Filipino crowd that came to watch her first singles encounter with world no. 47 Eala.
She ended Eala’s historic run in just 1 hour and 7 minutes, and Gauff took the last two game points with a service winner and her Filipina rivals’ wide crosscourt return.
With Gauff in the semis, she will meet the winner between Antonia Ruzic and Elina Svitolina.
“Alex is a tough competitor. Even when I was up, I knew she was going to come back at any given moment. I’ve seen her do that before,” added Gauff on Eala’s fightback, after she took a 4-0 lead in the second set.
Meanwhile, Eala exits the tournament with 215 points and US$98,500 in earnings, or more than P5.717-million.
Gauff dominated the game, winning the first ten games of the match before Eala was able to hold serve.
Her early lead came after Eala committed 15 unforced errors, and Gauff faltered with double faults in the next two games that the Filipina won.
“I was bit better today. I could have served a little bit better, but I made it when it mattered most,” said Gauff, who won 74% of her first-serve points (20/27), effectively neutralizing Eala’s return game.
Gauff’s triumph made up for her struggled the other day, when fought her way out of the round of 16, saving three match points before beating Elise Mertens in three sets, 2-6, 7-6(11-9), 6-3.
With her aggressive return shots, Gauff converted 6 of 9 break point opportunities, and consistently put pressure on Eala’s service games.
