So often for tennis players it isn’t securing the biggest win of their life that’s the hard part; it’s backing it up. So Alexandra Eala found after she wound up on the losing side of a two hour, 22 minute tussle with former finalist Jasmine Paolini, just a couple of days after holding her nerve in an epic straight-set win over defending champion and world No 3 Iga Swiatek.
The 21-year-old looked distraught as she conceded a break to fall down 5-3 in the deciding set, as a battle of wills slowly tilted in the experienced Italian’s favour. Two unforced errors by Eala handed over the match and with it, a place in the quarter-finals, as her history-making run came to an end on a baking Centre Court, 4-6 6-4 3-6.
