(InquirerPh) MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala earned a shot at her first-ever girls’ singles Grand Slam title as she staved off Canada’s Victoria Mboko, 6-1, 7-6(5), in the US Open Juniors semifinals on Saturday (Manila time) at USTA Billie Jean King Center in New York.
The 17-year-old Filipino unleashed a strong first set and bucked a lethargic start in the second to outlast the ninth-seed Canadian in a grueling one-hour and 21-minute match.
Eala, the tenth seed in the tournament, is marching to her first singles Grand Slam finals, surpassing her previous semifinal exit in the 2020 French Open and a quarterfinal finish in last year’s US Open.
“One more [win],” posted Eala in Filipino on her Facebook account.
Eala faces the tournament’s second seed and Juniors World No. 3, Lucie Havlickova of Czech Republic for the US Open championship on Sunday at 12 a.m. (Manila time).
Havlickova, who ruled the 2022 French Open singles, took down Diana Shnaider of Russia, 6-4, 6-4, to book a ticket to the finals… Read More
