Alex Eala gets back in action with one major bump off the road

They say the luck of the draw is a big thing. Sometimes, it boils down to everything.

Alex Eala hopes to take advantage of that, as she clashes with the player who ousted a major champion when the Filipino ace resumes her quest for a second straight WTA title Saturday morning in Manila.

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The 21-year-old who has taken the tennis world by storm battles American Caty McNally in the third round of the Canadian Open, a WTA 100 event, at Sobey’s Stadium that fellow Filipinos packed to the rafters when she made her tournament debut on Thursday morning.

A 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 victory over American Alycia Parks was wildly applauded and brought a whole new meaning to the words “homecourt advantage,” as Eala has packed stadiums anywhere she plays as a throng constantly wills her to win.

”There are so many Filipinos in the crowd tonight, so many flags. Thank you!” Eala said during the post-match interview on Thursday. “Maraming salamat, mga kababayan. Mahal ko kayong lahat.”

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McNally, ranked 70th in the world, eliminated newly crowned Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, 7-6 (5), 6-1, also on Thursday, which partly smoothed the road for the Filipino.

After beating countrywoman Karolina Muchova in an enthralling All-England Club final, 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, Noskova took a break to attend to commitments of being the Wimbledon champion, a big part of them were media obligations back in her home town of the Czech Republic.

The 21-year-old Noskova made the tournament in Canada her first event before plunging into her bid for a second straight Grand Slam title in the US Open at Flushing Meadows where she will be one of the favorites.

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Being away for close to a month to fulfill the Wimbledon champion’s obligations certainly took Noskova out of razor-sharp game shape, and it was evident in the way she played against McNally.

Leylah Fernandez, whom Eala ousted as defending champion of the Mubadala DC Open in Washington last week, is also in the third round after beating Mexico’s Renata Zarazua, 6-2, 6-2. Her third-round foe is major champion Mirra Andreeva, the fifth-ranked player in the world, also priming up for the US Open.

Should Eala survive McNally, the highest-seeded player left on her side of the draw before the semifinals is Coco Gauff, whom she beat, 6-2, 2-0, when the American retired on March 9 in Indian Wells because of a calf injury.