Alex Eala raced into the semi-finals of the Asian Games after beating a disgruntled Joanna Garland in straight sets.
The pair exchanged breaks in the first set before Eala edged a tight opener 7-5 against her Taiwanese opponent. The world No 144 was playing well above her ranking in the first set, but the gap in quality told in the second as the Filipina bagelled the 25-year-old in a 7-5, 6-0 victory.
Eala, who saved a set point against the former world 117, will now take on fourth seed Wang Xiyu in the semi-finals, whereas second seed Zhang Shuai is preparing to lock horns with fourth seed Yulia Putintseva.
Before those last four matches take place on Thursday, Garland was not best pleased with one point late in the first set. Eala was forced to scramble as the eighth seed fired a forehand onto the baseline.
Garland seemed to have an easy putaway at the net, but her drive volley went straight back to the 21-year-old, who fired a well-placed lob over the Stevenage-born player.
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The pro-Eala crowd could not contain themselves and called out during the point, something Garland took umbrage with. Shortly after her counter-lob went long, she raised her arms up in the air and motioned to the umpire.
Garland then walked to the net, exchanged words with the official, and then the umpire said to the packed crowd, “Ladies and gentleman, quiet during rallies, thank you.”
This is not the first time players have complained about Eala’s passionate fans when watching her matches.
In August, when Eala was selling out stadiums at the Canadian Open, Serena Williams’ coach, Rennae Stubbs, pointed out that some of her supporters need to improve their “tennis etiquette”.
She said at the time, “When you go up against a player like that, you have to mentally prepare yourself for the onslaught of fans. [Andrea] Petkovic and the commentators were saying they [Eala fans] don’t really understand the sport of tennis yet, because they are so new to it because of the phenomenon of Alex Eala.
“They are screaming at times in the middle of the point, they are getting very excited. When I went to China for the first time and they hadn’t had tennis there professionally and even at the Olympics [in 2008], they didn’t understand tennis etiquette that much.
“So they would scream out in the middle of the point or say stuff between first and second serves and it was like, ‘Oh my god, they don’t understand the etiquette of tennis’ and I am all for the excitement. There is nothing more exciting than what we are getting every time she walks on the court.”
A couple of weeks earlier, Jessica Pegula, who lost to Eala in the Washington Open final, quipped it was “not fun to play against” after getting less support than the world No 18.
Eala’s rise in tennis is arguably great for the sport. But it seems her popularity may ruffle some people’s feathers.
