Eala likes grass more than clay

MANILA, Philippines — Green, green grass away from home.

Alex Eala, slowly but surely, is feeling at home on grass courts en route to a quarterfinal appearance in her first tournament this season.

“I really like grass,” said the Filipina sensation on the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) Great Britain website after a 6-2, 7-5 win over Russia’s Alina Charaeva in Round 2 of the WTA125 Lexus Birmingham Open Thursday in England.

It was a quick playoff entry for Eala to kick off her grass season, a stark contrast to her clay campaign last month marked by a bevy of early exits save for a third-round stint in the Italian Open.

“There’s some getting used to as England also has a particular weather,” added Eala, who was to shoot for a semifinal ticket against fellow Southeast Asian bet Manangchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand at press time.

Eala, WTA No. 37, is the top seed in the 125-level Birmingham tour. Against the WTA No. 173 and unseeded Sawangkaew, she is looking score a repeat of her 6-1, 6-2 win in the finals of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.

A win by Eala would catapult her against either Switzerland’s Rebeka Masarova (WTA No. 132) or USA’s Mary Stoiana (WTA No. 146) in the semifinals.

The 21-year-old ace last reached a Final Four in the WTA Tour last January in the WTA250 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand.

But good thing for her, a gusty second-set stand against Charaeva tested her mettle and readied her for a deep run – even at the expense of her SEAster in Sawangkaew.

“I’m pleased with my attitude. I was definitely in a tough spot in the second set but I’m most proud that I stayed in there, followed my intensity again and ultimately gave myself another chance to do better tomorrow,” she beamed.

Before Charaeva, Eala scored an emphatic grass debut against WTA No. 143 Priscilla Hon of Australia, 6-0, 6-2.