Tatiana Prozorova faced world-ranked 18th Alex Eala in the Singapore Tennis Open Round of 16.
Despite being ranked only 180th in the world, she lost the first set yet ultimately reversed a match that lasted over 3 hours.
How did a player ranked outside the top 100 achieve her first career victory against a top 20 seed?
Three-Line Summary
1. In the Singapore Open Round of 16, Prozorova defeated Eala
2. The match ended 4–6, 7–5, 6–3 in 3 hours 9 minutes
3. This was Prozorova's first career victory against a top 20 opponent
4–6, 7–5, 6–3 — A 3-Hour 9-Minute Reversal
Tatiana Prozorova (22) defeated 3rd seed Alex Eala 4–6, 7–5, 6–3 in the Round of 16 of the Singapore Tennis Open on Thursday. The match lasted 3 hours 9 minutes. Eala took the first set 6–4 and led 4–2 in the second set, appearing set to advance to the quarterfinals. However, Prozorova did not fold. She won five of the last six games in the second set, flipping it 7–5, and maintained momentum in the third set to close out the match 6–3. In her on-court interview after the match, Prozorova said, "I believed in myself until the end," and joked that her secret to finding strength in the crucial moments was that she "ate a lot of dessert before the match."
"52 to 24" — The Winner Count Tells the Story
This upset stands out because of the gap between the two players. Before this match, Prozorova had won just three matches total in tour-level singles play. Those victories came at Palermo in 2023 and Memphis in July of this year, and her only win against a top 50 player was when she defeated Tatiana Maria at the Manila WTA 125 event in January. In this match, she produced 52 winners, overwhelming Eala's 24. This victory over world-ranked 18th was Prozorova's first career top 20 win, and it led to her best career result—advancing to the quarterfinals of this tournament.
For Eala, an Upset After One Year
The loss was unusual for Eala as well. She had not lost to a player ranked outside the top 100 since September of last year—exactly one year ago—when she fell to Lulu Sun, who was ranked 146th at the time, in the semifinals of the Zhengzhou WTA 125 event. After the match, Eala said, "Of course it's disappointing," but added, "Tatiana played really well today. I need to take time to reflect on what I could have done better and learn from it." She expressed regret about squandering four break points while at deuce in the third set before losing the set, adding, "These things happen."
Next Opponent: Wang Xinyu; Eala Heads to the Asian Games
Prozorova will face Wang Xinyu of China in the quarterfinals. Wang defeated Joanna Galandy, coming back from 1–4 down early in the first set to win 7–5, 6–4 and advance to the quarterfinals. In the first round of this tournament, Prozorova also displayed resilience against adversity, losing a set and a break to Sofia Kostuulas before reversing it 5–7, 7–6(2), 6–2. Meanwhile, Eala is scheduled to compete for the Philippines at the Aichi–Nagoya Asian Games in Japan from September 30 through October 4, and is expected to be seeded 1st in women's singles. She won bronze medals in singles and mixed doubles at the previous Asian Games, and is now aiming to become the first Philippine player to win an Asian Games gold medal in women's singles.