MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala carried over to the main draw her solid qualifiers performance in the WTA 125 Workday Canberra International, sweeping Austria’s Sinja Kraus, 6-2, 6-4, in the opening round on Tuesday, December 31.
The Filipina teen star encountered some dangerous moments against the 22-year-old Kraus, particularly in the second set, but Eala was mostly in control as she quickly recovered from a 4-2 deficit in the frame by breaking Kraus twice and sweeping the next four games to finish the match in just 80 minutes.
Eala had an easier time in the first set which she pocketed after just 31 minutes. The 2022 US Open girls singles champion jumped to a 3-0 lead and did not allow the world No. 211 Austrian any breathing room. Eala broke serve two times to grab the first set in eight games, 6-2.
The 19-year-old had to go through two qualifying matches against local bets from Australia to earn a spot in the main draw. She downed Catherine Aulia, 6-1, 6-2, then Alana Subasic, 5-7, 6-0, 6-1.
The second round will be an uphill climb as Eala faces 28-year-old Dutch veteran Arianne Hartono, who earlier this year was ranked world No. 135.
Hartono, who had qualified twice to the main draw of the Australian Open, pulled off a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 triumph over second seed Anna Bondar of Hungary in the opening round.
Eala, though, should be heading into the second round encounter with a ton of confidence, having beaten Hartono in their only previous match, 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-1, in the semifinals of the ITF Roehampton in the United Kingdom on August, 2023. – Rappler.com
