Tatiana Prozorova stood on center court searching for words while the Singapore Open crowd rose around her.
For more than three hours, most of those voices had belonged to Alex Eala. Now they were applauding the world No. 180 who had just authored the biggest victory of her career.
“Honestly, I don’t have any words right now to describe my emotions, my feelings,” Prozorova said. “But wow. I did it. I just did it.”
Prozorova upset the third-seeded Eala, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, advancing to her first WTA quarterfinal and earning her first victory over a top-20 opponent. The 22-year-old rallied from a set and 4-2 down, completing the comeback after 3 hours, 9 minutes.
Eala, ranked No. 18, entered as the overwhelming favorite. Her proximity to the Philippines transformed the match into something resembling a home tie, with Filipino flags and cheers filling the arena.
Prozorova knew what awaited her.
Tatiana Prozorova Prepared for Alex Eala’s Fans
Speaking with ABS-CBN Sports after the match, Prozorova said her husband, who also serves as her coach, helped prepare her for an audience firmly behind Eala.
“The crowd was very noisy,” Prozorova said. “They gave her a lot of support, but I was preparing myself before this match.”
Prozorova viewed the atmosphere as something she would encounter repeatedly if her career continued ascending. Eala was not technically the local player, but Singapore’s closeness to the Philippines ensured she would receive local-level support.
“It’s normal, just normal,” Prozorova said. “My husband, also my coach, helped me to prepare mentally, just to be ready for this and not react.”
That preparation showed when Eala appeared to take control. Prozorova refused to rush between points or challenge the crowd’s energy. She absorbed it, stayed within rallies and waited for the match to shift.
“I just believed in myself until the end,” she said. “I knew that she would fight. I also would fight until the end, and that’s what I did.”
Prozorova Produces Another Dramatic Comeback
The escape was not her first of the tournament.
Prozorova trailed Sofia Costoulas by a set and 3-1 in the opening round before prevailing, 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-2, in another match lasting nearly three hours.
Asked where she found the energy to survive two demanding matches, Prozorova offered the afternoon’s best answer.
“I ate a lot of desserts today,” she said, smiling. “Maybe it also told me, ‘Hey, come on. Let’s go. Keep fighting.’”
She also acknowledged the difficulty of facing Eala’s supporters, joking that the toughest opponent was not Alexandra herself but her fans. Yet there was no bitterness in the observation. Prozorova thanked the crowd and recognized that it applauded her once the upset was complete.
Her reward is a quarterfinal against China’s Wang Xinyu, who defeated qualifier Joanna Garland, 7-5, 6-4.
Prozorova arrived in Singapore with only three previous tour-level victories. She will leave with her first top-20 win, her first WTA quarterfinal and proof that she can quiet a partisan crowd without ever fighting against it.
Tatiana Prozorova Reveals What Fueled Stunning Alex Eala Upset