MANILA, Philippines—Alex Eala is back on track after reaching the main draw of the WTA Guangzhou Open.
The Filipino tennis ace defeated Russia’s Elena Pridankina, 6-2, 6-2, at Nansha International Tennis Center in Guangzhou, China on Monday to hurdle the qualifiers and advance.
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“Feeling great to be back in Main draw here in Guangzhou 🤗🎉Ready to make every moment count,” said Eala in a social media post.
READ: Alex Eala falls short, exits Ningbo Open
This, after defeating Chinese bet Gao Xinyu, 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, in the qualifying phase’s first round.
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Pridankina went on a neck-and-neck start against Eala, going on a 2-2 deadlock in the first set.
But the 19-year-old Eala showed experience beyond her age and took the next four games to leave Pridankina in the dust in the opening salvo.
READ: Alex Eala excited ahead of first US Open campaign as a pro
Eala pulled off a similar feat in the second set, going on another four-game streak after a 2-2 standoff.
Eala looks to make it three in a row as she enters a tournament where she got eliminated in the first round of the main draw twice.
The road won’t be easier for Eala as she’ll potentially face top-tier bets Yue Yuan (China), Elina Avanesyan (Armenia) and Marie Bouzkova (Czech).