Alex Eala had to earn every point—and dodge every raincloud—in a gritty three-set win over Poland’s Katarzyna Kawa, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, to barge into the Round of 16 at the Sozhou WTA 125.
Seeded fourth in the USD115,000 tournament, the 20-year-old Eala was locked at 2-all in the opening set when a heavy downpour halted play. When the skies cleared, Eala roared back to sweep four of the next five games and claim the set, 6-3, against the seasoned 32-year-old Kawa.
But the veteran Pole wasn’t going quietly. Drawing on deep experience and a booming forehand, Kawa turned the tables in the second set. Another rain delay—this time working in her favor—helped her reset, while Eala struggled to regain rhythm. Kawa leveled the match with a confident 6-3 second-set finish.
The decider was a war of wills. Eala surged early, but Kawa clawed back, even taking a 4-3 lead.
That’s when Eala reminded herself Kawa was ranked 112th. Abandoning her baseline comfort zone, she charged the net, forced errors, and took back the lead at 5-4. Though Kawa forced a 5-all tie, the world No. 56 Filipina dug deep and delivered the knockout blows to seal the win.
The stats told the story of a razor-thin battle: Eala outscored Kawa 95-93, saving 7 of 14 break points. While Kawa had 3 aces, she also double faulted 11 times—a costly gap that tilted the match.
The win keeps Eala’s Sozhou title hopes alive and offers redemption after a tough early exit at the Jingshan Tennis Open last week.
