Eala bests Vekic for winning start in Berlin Tennis Open

MANILA, Philippines -- Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala had to grind it out, but a victory came nonetheless. 

Eala had a Berlin Tennis Open debut to remember, sweeping newly crowned Queen’s Club champion Donna Vekic, 7-5, 6-4, in their first round clash Wednesday evening (Manila time) in Germany. 

The Filipina had to pull away in both sets to grab the victory in an hour and 50 minutes. 

The World No. 35 Filipina had to climb out of a 0-2 hole in the first set and win the next four games to go up, 4-2. 

But the Croatian fought back, going up 5-4 after holding her serve. 

Eala then dug deep and win the next three games to take the first set, 7-5. 

And in the second set, the 21-year-old pride of the Philippines jumped to a 2-0 lead, and she would not squander it. 

Vekic tried, and failed, to tie things up multiple times despite moving from within a game. 

In the 10th game, Eala had to climb out of a 40-0 situation for the victory over the 33rd-ranked tennister. 

This may be a huge win for the Filipina, but the road just gets tougher. Up next for her is Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, ranked second in the world.