Eala off to winning start in Jingshan Open

Posted by ReyFort Media

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinas tennis ace Alex Eala punched a ticket to the round of 16 of the Jingshan Open after sweeping Aliona Falei of Belarus, 6-3, 7-5, Tuesday in China. 

Eala, the top-seeded tennister of the WTA 125 tournament, needed an hour and 51 minutes to grab the win as she had to dig deep in the second set against the World No. 322. 

The Filipina, ranked 58th in the world, had a dominant start, going up 3-0 in the first set before the Belarusian finally put herself on the board. 

The two tennisters then traded games, before Eala capped the first frame off with a 6-3 victory. 

Almost the same thing happened in the second set, with the Rafa Nadal Academy graduate taking a 2-0 lead, before Falei equalized with two straight games. 

They then won one after another, as the set went to an extension, 5-all. 

But Falei’s erratic game and a costly double fault gave Eala the 6-5 lead. 

And with the Guadalajara Open champion serving, she blanked her opponent as she punched in a service ace. 

Eala recorded 41 won receiving points, compared to her opponent’s 32. The pride of the Philippines also won 39 service points against Falei’s 35. 

The big difference, though, was the double faults, as the Belarusian had 10 to Eala’s two. 

Eala will now take on either Mei Yamaguchi of Japan or Hong Yi Cody Wong of Hong Kong in the next round. (R. E. Villanueva/ Philstar)