THE PHILIPPINES' Alex Eala just won her first-round match in Hamburg, Germany, beating Ekaterina Kazionova of Russia in a three-set thriller that lasted two hours and 44 minutes, 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, on early Wednesday morning.
The 17-year-old Pinay bucked a slow start rallying late in the thriller, after losing the first set by four games, 2-6. She led the decider from the get-to, starting strong at 5-1. Kazionova fought back with three consecutive games before Eala took the third set, 6-4.
Alex Eala vs. Ekaterina Kazionova recap
Earlier in the match, the 23-year-old Russian defied Eala's first point in the second set, snatching the seventh game to take the lead, 3-4. Eala tied at 4-4, but Kazionova won consecutive games to cap off second set at 6-4.
Eala, who had recently risen in ranking to WTA no. 248, will next face tournament top seed Ysaline Bonaventure of Belgium, WTA no. 118, for her second-rounder on Thursday.
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