Alex Eala is “challenging” to face on the tennis court but her fans are an even bigger proposition.

That is according to Tatiana Prozorova, who beat Eala in three sets in the second round of the Singapore Open last month. The Russian, who is at a career-high ranking of 116, dropped the first set before pulling off a rousing comeback in a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory.

Although the Filipina was not in her native country, her army of supporters made it a raucous atmosphere at the OCBC Arena. And while facing off against the world No 18 is no easy task, Prozorova said dealing with the fans may be the toughest part of the whole experience.

She said on First and Red, “I almost immediately started to prepare for my match against Alexandra, because it’s not so hard to play against her as it is against her fans. Especially since this is Asia, which is quite close to the Philippines. But really I was lucky and it grew as the match went on.

“Overall, I’d say Alexandra is quite a challenging player. We studied her matches quite a lot beforehand, I watched and analysed how she plays, where she stands, where she plays more often, where she plays less often, what makes her uncomfortable.

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“And based on everything I saw, I made a plan. My coach and I put it together, adjusting things here and there, relying on my feelings and my skills, so to speak. On the court, I followed it from start to finish, but somewhere in the first set I didn’t hold on to the advantage that I’d created at the beginning of the first set.

“It was a bit nerve-wracking at first, but then I realised as the match progressed, despite the first set, I realised I could beat her and I had to really go for it, really want to win every point at any cost and give it my all. Honestly, I didn’t know until the very end how this match would go.

“Even when I took the second set and was leading in the third, the crowd was right on her side, they were still cheering, raising a ruckus, chanting her name, waving placards, but I realised that I wasn’t bothered by it anymore. I was in my element, on my own wavelength, on a roll. I understood everything already. The main thing is to follow the plan until the end.”

When Eala won the Washington Open title in early August, Jessica Pegula quipped it was “not fun to play against” the left-hander as her fans made the American feel like she was playing in an away Billie Jean King Cup tie, rather than on home soil.

Rennae Stubbs also said some of Eala’s most passionate fans may have a “tennis etiquette” issue, with a minority shouting out during points. But others, such as Caty McNally, think it is a privilege to play a player with such a strong following.

Incidentally, Prozorova went on to make the semi-finals in Singapore, before she was forced to withdraw by the WTA over a suspected concussion the 22-year-old sustained in a doubles match at the tournament.

Eala, on the other hand, is searching for the form she showed over the summer after picking up a Bronze medal at the Asian Games this week in a draw where she was heavy favourite.

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