THERE’S no better year-ender for Filipina teen tennis prodigy Alex Eala than a doubles crown, which she won at the prestige Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships in Florida last Sunday, December 15.
Entering the semifinals seeded 5th, Eala, together with her partner Belursian Evialina Laskevich, trounced the Girls 18s division’s 3rd seeds Canadian pair Jada Bui and Melodie Collard, in a three-setter finals, 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 10-5, to grab the tournament title in the afternoon.
Earlier in the day, a sweet three-setter victory over the American pair Savannah Broadus and Kylie Collins, 3-6, 6-1, 10-7, in the semifinals paved way to booking their ticket to the championship.
The 14-year-old netter, however, admitted that it’s no easy win as the two-week long competition has seen some tough competition. But it was her chemistry with her pair that bagged them the crown.
“It was a great tournament with a rich history, definitely a lot of good players," she shared with SPIN Life. "Our opponents were also very good. It could’ve gone either way given it came to third set. My relationship on court with my partner has improved a lot over the past two weeks, and I think that helped us a lot to get the title.”
Ranked 13th in the ITF juniors world (Under-18), the journey is far from over for Alex as she prepares to compete in the Grade 1 Traralgon on January 13, 2020, before heading to the Australian Open Junior Championships later that month.
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