Alex Eala in action in the W100 Bengaluru in India. PHOTO: tennis_karnataka/Instagram
MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala took down Arianne Hartono of the Netherlands, 6-2, 6-2, to open her W100 Bengaluru campaign on Wednesday in India.
The 19-year-old Filipino broke a 2-2 tie in the first set by winning four straight games to draw first blood.
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READ: Alex Eala reaches another career-high in WTA rankings
Eala brought the momentum in the second with a sizzling 5-0 start before the Dutch stopped the bleeding only for the former to get the job done and sweep her way to the round of 16.
It was Eala’s third win over Hartono in all of their past meetings.
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The Rafael Nadal Academy product, the No.5 seed of the tournament, battles Slovenia’s Dalila Jakupovic in the second round.
Eala recently suffered a first-round exit in the Australian Open with a 5-7, 2-6 loss to Jana Fett of Croatia last January 7.
But she recently achieved her career-high in the Women’s Tennis Association world rankings, rising to No. 136.
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