Alex Eala and Victoria Mboko were both clearly running on fumes as they went in deep water in their round of 16 matchup in the Hong Kong Open.
But Mboko was able to muster just enough to grab the come-from-behind victory.
Mboko needed two hours and 28 minutes to get the 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win Thursday evening in Hong Kong.
Eala was actually firmly in control in the third set, going up 4-1 after holding her serve.
But the Canadian dug deep and clawed out of that hole.
Mboko, ranked 21st in the world and third in the tournament, tied things up at four games apiece after holding her serve in the eighth game.
Eala, though, could not recover as Mboko asserted her mastery.
And with Mboko now holding the momentum, she blanked the 20-year-old Filipina the rest of the way, as Eala’s return went straight to the net to formalize the 19-year-old’s win.
‘I wanna first congratulate Alex for an amazing match, It’s never easy to play one of your friends. And I’ve known her for such a long time, so that made it a little bit emotional, but I also want to thank everyone who came to support today,’ Mboko said.
‘I know there’s so many Filipinos here that came to support Alex, and this is what this sport is all about. And I love the support you came today, and it made the match so much more intense and super tough for me. So I think I really had to fight for every single point,’ she added.
‘I think it was just an unbelievable match, so thank you.’
After getting the victory in the first set, Eala looked like she had Mboko figured out as she was able to connect on her winners.
Mboko, though, broke the second set open, getting separation from a 2-2 deadlock to force the third set, 6-3.
While the World No. 51 tennister only had 38 unforced errors to her opponent’s 51, Mboko punched in eight aces against Eala’s two.
The Hong Kong Open is Eala’s final tournament of the season.
Mboko will now take on Anna Kalinskaya in the quarterfinals of the tourney.