JUST as Alex Eala was starting to gain momentum, heavy rains poured, forcing the cancellation of her crucial match against Varvara Lepchenko in the Round of 16 of the Guadalajara 125 Open early morning on Thursday (Philippine time), September 4, in Mexico.

Eala dropped the opening set, 6-7, (3-7), but bounced back in the second frame, 7-6, (7-3), to even things up.

The 20-year-old Filipina raced to a critical 3-2 lead in the deciding set when the match was halted due to rain.

The two left-handed protagonists figured in an intense duel right from the start.

Eala had the chance to win the first set when she took a 5-4 lead. Serving with a one point lead, Eala fought through four deuces that saw her battle back from a 15-40 deficit and even earned two set points.

The 39-year-old Lepchenko, however, showed tremendous fighting spirit, tying the count at 5-all and went on to force a tiebreak.

Eala returned the favor in the second set, coming up with her own huge fightback as she recovered from a 4-5 deficit and prevailed via tiebreak. Neither gave an inch in the deciding set, but Eala managed to surge ahead before the match was stopped.

The match will resume at 2 a.m. on Friday (Philippine time), September 5.(CCM)

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