WITH the whole crowd rallying behind her, the Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala did not disappoint as she treated the Filipino fans with an astounding opening night win on the first day of the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open, at the jam-packed, newly refurbished Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila.
Tracing back to her roots, Eala made sure to put a statement in her return at the very court where she flourished her skills as a junior after a dominant win against Alina Charaeva of Russia in the Round of 32.
The 20-year-old Quezon City pride just needed one hour and 13 minutes to dismantle the Russian foe in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2.
Fueled by the roaring sellout support of the Filipino fans in attendance, the current world no. 49 Eala took on the center court by storm as she blazed Charaeva with a string of hard-hitting services that dictated the pace of the opening set in just a matter of 24 minutes of play.
Charaeva refused to go down without a fight after bagging the first two games of the second set.
Adding to the adversary, Eala battled through cramps after going down 0-2 early in the frame, forcing her to take a medical timeout.
Eala then rose to the occasion, determined to showcase the things she learned from her previous international competitions. Alex will later come through in the clutch to salvage the game, saving three break points to tie things up.
Seeded no. 2 in the tournament, Eala eventually found her rhythm back to launch a comeback built on solid service returns and strategic net plays that halted Charaeva.
Eala clinched the opening night win, capturing the next six games, 6-2, to book her ticket to the Philippine Women’s Open Round of 16.
With this victory, Eala also avenged her loss against Charaeve six years ago.
Eala and Charaeva first faced each other at the International Tennis Federation match in Spain in 2020, where the latter dominated the then Filipina junior standout, 3-6, 3-6, in the first round.
Paving the way for this historic hosting to happen, Eala expressed how huge this tournament is for her and the Philippine tennis sport in general. “I think it’s such a full circle moment to see how far tennis has come in the Philippines. I think playing matches and seeing my two worlds collide, kumbaga, being in Manila and the WTA Tour, and seeing it come to life is so full circle and so emotional for me.”
The Filipina tennis phenom will next face the winner of the match between Japanese players Nao Hibino and Himeno Sakatsume.