TOP seed Alex Eala wasted no time planting her mark in Asia, storming through her continental opener with a straight-sets victory.
The Filipina ranked No. 58 in the world dispatched Belarusian No. 322 Aliona Falei, 6-3, 7-5, in the round of 32 of the WTA 125 Jingshan Open in China as she started her chase for a second WTA title.
READ Alex Eala moves up WTA rankings as she heads to Asian swing
Coming off a quarterfinal run at the Sao Paulo Open and her maiden crown at the Guadalajara 125, Eala now awaits the winner of the match between Japan’s Mei Yamaguchi and Hong Kong’s Hong Yi Cody Wong — both unseeded.
Eala, 20, briefly called a medical timeout while up 3-2 in the second set, but quickly shook it off.
Falei managed to level at 5-all, yet the tournament’s top seed roared back with two straight games to shut the door in a match that lasted an hour and 51 minutes.
In the opener, Eala raced to a 3-0 lead before Falei finally held serve. The Filipina kept her grip to build a 5-2 cushion, and though the Belarusian tried to rally, Eala shut the door at 6-3.
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