MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala continued her remarkable run at the 2026 Canadian Open after defeating American Caty McNally, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, on Friday (Saturday, Philippine time) to advance to the Round of 16 in Toronto.
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| Photo courtesy: WTA |
The victory extended the Filipina tennis star's winning streak to seven consecutive singles matches, dating back to her title-winning run at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington.
Eala entered the Round of 32 after defeating Alycia Parks, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, in her opening singles match following a first-round bye as the tournament's 25th seed.
The 21-year-old faced a difficult start against McNally, falling behind 1-3 in the opening set before finding her rhythm and winning five of the next six games to take control.
McNally responded strongly in the second set, while Eala was forced to deal with pain in her right foot after taking a tumble in the fifth game and having the foot wrapped before the sixth.
Despite the setback, Eala battled on and had an opportunity to serve for the match at 5-4 in the second set, only for McNally to win three consecutive games and force a deciding set.
The Filipina ace regained her composure in the third set, securing the crucial breaks and holding her nerve to close out another hard-fought victory.
Eala's latest triumph sends her into the fourth round of the WTA 1000 tournament, putting her among the final 16 players in the singles draw.
She will face Switzerland's Belinda Bencic in the Round of 16 after the former Olympic champion battled past American Taylor Townsend in a marathon match lasting three hours and 24 minutes.
Bencic's victory sets up an intriguing clash with Eala, who will be seeking to continue her remarkable run against another accomplished opponent on the Toronto hard courts.
Eala's doubles campaign with tennis legend Venus Williams, meanwhile, ended in the Round of 32 after the pair lost to Liudmila Samsonova and Miyu Kato, 6-4, 6-3.
With her singles campaign still alive, Eala now turns her attention to Bencic as she aims to reach the Canadian Open quarterfinals and extend her winning streak even further.
— The Summit Express
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