NOT IN the way she wanted but Alexandra “Alex” Eala exacted vengeance on her good friend Coco Gauff, who was forced to retire due to injury to give the Filipina pride a Round of 16 passage in the 2026 Indian Wells Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Monday.
Ms. Eala took the first set with ease, 6-2, and was leading 2-0 in the second set after a break point when Ms. Gauff called it a day due to a nagging pain in her left arm before a 16,000-strong capacity crowd at the Stadium 1, the second-biggest tennis stadium in the world.
Ms. Gauff before this retired only once in her stellar career against Maris Bouzkova of Czechia in the 2022 Cincinnati Open due to a left ankle injury.
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