Eala trounces Dutch foe to advance in W100 Vitoria-Gasteiz tilt

MANILA, Philippines – Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala barged into the next round of the W100 Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain after sweeping the Netherlands’ Lian Tran, 6-4, 6-2, Wednesday evening (Manila time). 

The victory came a few days after Eala was ranked 155th in the world, her career high. 

It was a dominant win for the Asian Games bronze medalist, who chalked up 34 service points compared to just 16 for Tran. 

The 19-year-old also won 31 receiving points to 26. 

In the round of 16, Eala will face hometown bet Lucia Cortez Llorca, who made quick work of Turkiye’s Pemra Ozgen in the first round of the tourney. 

The two will clash Thursday evening. 

Last year, Eala crashed out of the tournament in the semifinal round. 

Aside from the singles’ win, Eala also entered the quarterfinals of the tournament’s doubles play. 

She and her partner, France’s Estelle Cascino, will face the duo of Czechia’s Victoria Bervid and Italy’s Laura Mair on Friday (Manila time).