Alex Eala begins the first Philippine Women’s Open with a commanding victory.
With great excitement surrounding the Philippines’ inaugural WTA 125 tournament, Alex Eala made a strong initial impression, showcasing her skills with a decisive 6-1, 6-2 victory over Alina Charaeva in just one hour and 16 minutes on Monday evening at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
This win also marked a moment of redemption for Eala, who had previously lost to Charaeva in straight sets at the 2020 W15 Melilla Open.
From the very first point, the Filipina teenager maintained control throughout the match.
Similar to her recent performances at the Australian Open, Eala established dominance early in the first set, dictating the pace from the baseline and breaking Charaeva in both the fourth and sixth games to secure a lopsided first set.
The second set experienced a slight change in momentum, as the 163rd-ranked Russian started more aggressively, taking the first two games, including a break of Eala’s serve in the second game.
However, Eala quickly regained her composure, responding with her third break of the match by blanking Charaeva in the next game to reassert her dominance.
Play was briefly interrupted when Eala requested a medical timeout due to some discomfort before the fourth game, momentarily disrupting the flow of the match.
Once the match resumed, the break had little impact, as Eala raised her performance and won five consecutive games to conclude the match. This streak included a hard-fought fifth game where she broke Charaeva’s serve, effectively sealing her victory.
By the conclusion of the match, Eala had achieved five service breaks and recorded an impressive 77% success rate on her first serve, along with 61% on her second serve, highlighting her control during crucial points.
In the second round, Eala will compete against the winner of the all-Japanese clash between Nao Hibino and Himeno Sakatsume.
More to follow…
Source: espn.com
