Alexandra Eala

Press Conference

A. EALA/D. Yastremska

7-5, 4-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Congrats on your debut. Tell me what was going through your head those last three games. How do you feel now?

ALEXANDRA EALA: I feel great now. Yeah, I just told myself to keep fighting, and I was still in the match. Yeah, like I said on court, I really had to dig deep for that one.

Q. How tough was it? It was such a seesaw battle. At times she was hitting a string of winners, and then it was your turn. How were you keeping your mind, like, staying in the game so that you just, like, outlasted her?

ALEXANDRA EALA: I think focus was a huge part of the match today. She played really well, in my opinion. I had to really go after all the balls and trust my gut.

So, yeah, I think mental fortitude was a big part of today's game.

Q. What switched in the latter part of the third set? Do you remember the turning point? Because you were just trading games, 4-4. Was there a moment you remember that you saw the momentum swing your way?

ALEXANDRA EALA: I think that this match could have gone either way. I don't think there was a huge shift in momentum at any point.

Of course I was down 4-5. She broke me to love, I think. So, like I said, I tried to remind myself I was still in the game and just kept there, stayed there, and kept fighting, yeah.

Q. You talked about obviously it's your debut at Indian Wells but also it was a late match, it's midnight, and then it's also cold. Did those things play any factor to the game and also how the court was feeling? Do those factor in at all?

ALEXANDRA EALA: Yeah, sometimes the conditions change. The balls, they may be a little bit heavier at night. But of course the difficulty with night matches is the time. It's night (smiling).

I finish now, it's past midnight, and by the time I'm able to do all my routines and, you know, calm down my adrenaline, I don't know what time I'll be able to sleep, but this is the life. You know, I'm happy to be here. Playing at night is also a good sign.

So, yeah, I adjust and I'm just happy that I got the win today (smiling).

Q. You actually talked about this on court, but this is one of the biggest crowds we have seen stay this late to see a player play. What does it mean to have this following especially at this time of night, especially with it being cold and being the last match?

ALEXANDRA EALA: It means the world to have this community behind me in such a prestigious tournament. For them to make the effort to stay up late and stay in the cold and cheer me on, so it really added to the feelings and the emotions after the match, yeah.

Q. We asked you this the other day, but we now know you're seeing Coco Gauff again. What are your thoughts about seeing Coco so soon, one match ago over in Dubai?

ALEXANDRA EALA: No, I'm excited, like I said the other day when you asked me. It was a tough match for me last time. I think she played really well. So all I can do is take the learnings that I have from our last match and try to implement that in our next one, yeah.

Q. Playing Coco here in the United States, obviously she's obviously a superstar, just like you are. Probably going to be in a huge stadium. How do you think that's going to impact your game? Are you super excited about it? How do you approach huge matches like that?

ALEXANDRA EALA: Well, it's not my first huge match. I think it's definitely going to be a tough one. Coco is an amazing player and playing at home. I'm expecting, you know, a big crowd to rally behind her just because she's amazing.

But it's like every other match. You know, today I had to dig really deep, so I'm expecting that the next match I have to do even more, you know. So I'm ready, and I'm looking forward to it, yeah.