Eala again on brink of Slam main draw

MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala zeroed in on a possible historic feat with a great 1-6, 7-6(9), 6-3 win over world No. 110 Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia to march on to the final of the Wimbledon Open qualifying draw Wednesday at the All England Club in London.

Up against the No. 14 seed, Eala shrugged off a near shutout in the first set, pulling off an escape act in the second and roaring on to nail the win that sent her one win away from becoming the first Filipina to make it to a Grand Slam main draw.

Narrowly missing the same mission in the French Open last month, Eala hopes to hit the target this time against WTA No. 123 and No. 23 seed Lulu Sun of New Zealand.

Resilience and composure against a seasoned foe spelled the difference for Eala versus Zidansek.

On the brink of elimination in the second set at 5-6, Eala summoned enough courage and energy to forge a tiebreaker and win it to send the match to a decider.

And it was all Eala from there on as she rode the momentum to spark a 2-0 cushion in the third set on her way to a second straight win after beating Jessika Ponchet of France, 7-6(1), 6-4.

Eala had just one ace but banked on her crisp counter game to force Zidansek, a former world No. 22 and French Open semifinalist, to seven errors in the gruelling duel that lasted two hours and 33 minutes.