ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Eala outlasts McNally, storms into fourth round in Toronto

Eala outlasts McNally, storms into fourth round in Toronto

Published Aug 8, 2026 12:12 pm  |  Updated Aug 8, 2026 01:10 pm

At A Glance

  • The 25th-seeded Filipina battled through a nagging left-ankle issue that required a medical timeout in the second set before holding her nerve in the deciding third frame to seal the hard-fought victory in two hours and 39 minutes.
Alex Eala survives a tough match against Caty McNally at the National Bank Open. (File Photo Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Alex Eala survives a tough match against Caty McNally at the National Bank Open. (File Photo Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Alex Eala dug deep to outlast a gritty Caty McNally, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, and storm into the fourth round of the 2026 National Bank Open in Toronto, Canada on Saturday, Aug. 8 (Philippine time).
The 25th-seeded Filipina battled through a nagging left-ankle issue that required a medical timeout in the second set before holding her nerve in the deciding third frame to seal the hard-fought victory in two hours and 39 minutes.
After sealing match point, Eala was overcome with emotion and nearly burst into tears as the fatigue finally set in. She then walked to the middle of the court to exchange handshakes with McNally in a show of sportsmanship.
Eala credited McNally for pushing her to the limit throughout the marathon battle.
“I think I survived that one. It was so tough. I want to thank Caty for a great match, being a great sport. It’s one of those matches that really could have gone either way,” said Eala.
“I think it was really down to details and a little bit of luck,” she added.
The win marked Eala’s seventh straight victory since her breakthrough WTA Tour title at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington, D.C. last week.
It also set up another stern test for Eala against former world No. 4 and 12th seed Belinda Bencic, who likewise survived a grueling battle with Taylor Townsend, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-4.
The seasoned Swiss star brings an imposing resume, having twice reached the Grand Slam semifinals and captured the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Against McNally, who came into the match brimming with confidence after stunning reigning Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, 7-5 (5), 6-1, Eala capitalized on seven break-point conversions against the hard-hitting American.
The Filipina battled back from a 1-3 deficit, rattling off five straight games to seize the opening set. But a nagging left-ankle issue disrupted her momentum, forcing her to call for a medical timeout while leading 3-2.
McNally grew more aggressive after the break, turning a 4-5 deficit into a set win to force a decider.
But Eala soldiered on in the third, breaking McNally’s serve in the opening game before holding her own and steadily pulling away to seal the match win.

Related Tags

Alex Eala National Bank Open
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.