TENNIS: Alex Eala fends off tenacious Pole to advance in Italian Open

Alex Eala flirted with disaster as she salvaged the third, deciding set to send off Poland’s Magdalena Frech, 6–0, 3–6, 6–4, in the Round of 128 of the Italian Open in Rome, Wednesday, May 6.

The Filipina crowd favorite hit the ground running by blanking Frech in the first set, 6-0. The Polish world number 45 maintained her composure in the second set and started to take advantage of Eala's errors, clinching the set with an ace, 6-3.

Frech, in the third set, raced Eala three games to one. The number 42 Filipina then took the next three games to take the lead at 4-3. The tenacious Frech then took the next game to even the score 4-4.

Eala broke the deadlock after a punishing back-and-forth between the two tennis aces. Eala had three advantage points as Frech faltered on errors giving Eala the game at 5–4. After a long rally, Eala finally closed the set and the match, 6-4.

Eala will next face world number 33 Wang Xinyu of China in the round of 64 on Thursday.