FILIPINA teen tennis sensation Alex Eala crushed Margot Yerolymos of France in straight sets, 7, 6(6), 6-2, to make her presence felt in the opener of the W60 Bellinzona on Tuesday night in Switzerland.
The 15-year-old was able to sustain her momentum after she pulled off a very strong start in a cagey first set that lasted for 1 hour and 16 minutes after a tiebreaker with the WTA No. 323.
The win is her first-ever victory in the $60,000 series, which is already her ninth tournament this year.
Eala entered the second and last set tough, racking up the first three points. Yerolymos, 23, however, tried to turn the tables, catching up 3-2, before Eala eventually went away to seal the win.
The Juniors World No. 3 player recorded two service aces in the two hour-long match.
She’s also improved her ranking to WTA no. 715.
Eala now moves to the second round and will next face WTA no. 206 Laura-Loana Paar of Romania, whom she defeated earlier this year in W25 Grenoble.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
