Alex Eala fended off Katy Dunne of Great Britain, 7-5, 2-6, 6-2, to advance to the second round of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) W25 Yecla in Spain.
Seeded second in the tournament, the 18-year-old Eala fought off her aggressive 28-year-old rival in the first two sets before dominating the deciding frame. Eala’s victory set her up a meeting with French qualifier Nahia Berecoechea, who trounced American Jessica Failla, 6-2, 6-0. On paper, the Filipino tennis standout has a higher ITF ranking at No. 266 compared to the French’s 585. The two have never met in any ITF tournaments. Eala has been seeking to follow up her second pro title she won in the W25 Chang Rai in Thailand last year. Her best performance this season so far was a quarterfinal finish at last week’s W25 Monastir in Tunisia where she yielded to China’s Wang Jiaqi, 0-6, 6-4, 6-3.
*Alex Eala earns as spot in the second round. (File Photo/Alex Eala's Facebook)
*Seeded second in the tournament, the 18-year-old Eala fought off her aggressive 28-year-old rival in the first two sets before dominating the deciding frame. Eala’s victory set her up a meeting with French qualifier Nahia Berecoechea, who trounced American Jessica Failla, 6-2, 6-0. On paper, the Filipino tennis standout has a higher ITF ranking at No. 266 compared to the French’s 585. The two have never met in any ITF tournaments. Eala has been seeking to follow up her second pro title she won in the W25 Chang Rai in Thailand last year. Her best performance this season so far was a quarterfinal finish at last week’s W25 Monastir in Tunisia where she yielded to China’s Wang Jiaqi, 0-6, 6-4, 6-3.