Alex Eala’s mentor said that he saw glimpses of what would be a groundbreaking campaign in the Miami Open for the 19-year-old tennister.
Alex Eala’s head coach Joan Bosch apparently saw telling signs that the 19-year-old was in for an impressive semifinals run in the Miami Open, even weeks before she captured the hearts of the tennis world.
[READ: Alex Eala ends Cinderella run at Miami Open against world no. 4 Jessica Pegula in semis]
In an interview with Eala’s uncle and former PBA Commissioner Noli Eala and Jera Sison in One PH's
Power & Play, Bosch spoke about how the Filipina was performing very well in their recent sessions heading into her wildcard entry in the Miami Open.
Despite acknowledging that it still came as a surprise, Bosch said there were some indications that Eala was in for a pivotal point in her young career.
“I remember three weeks ago, I was talking to Mike [Eala], and I said, I think she's really playing well and ready for the matches. You never know,” said Bosch.
Asked to elaborate, the Spanish tactician said that it was a number of little things that was working for Eala which helped her achieve the history-making run.
“She was moving faster than the opponents, hitting harder, enjoying, her serve was better, it's many things. It's not only one thing, but you feel it once you have the experience,” said the Spaniard.
Bosch has been handling Eala for the past two years, and had started out with the Filipina hitter when she was ranked in the high 200s in the WTA rankings.
Now projected to be in the Top 75 after her semifinals stint, Bosch couldn’t help but fawn over working with the 19-year-old, which he says, to some extent, also helps him organize his thoughts and practices as a coach.
“Well, I have to say that for me, she's one of the better players to coach. She's super organized in her mind. More than me, I have to say her. Sometimes, I want to do so many things, and she's the one who tells me, woah, let's go step by step. Let's do this first and then we'll do this second,” said Bosch.
“Most of the time, she's coaching me. It's true,” he added.
Though her dream run in Miami skidded to a stop with the narrow loss to Jessica Pegula on early Friday morning, Manila time, Bosch and Eala still have a long way to go as she is now expected to participate in the WTA Tour tournaments more often than not.
With her ranking, she is also likely to get an invite into the main draw of the Grand Slams--with the French Open coming up next in May.