Alex Eala
She may be the youngest player in the field, but Alex Eala is proving to be a force to be reckoned with in the Phinma-PSC International Junior Tennis Championships.
On Saturday, the 13-year-old Filipino ace crushed 16-year-old Fang Wei-ning of Chinese Taipei, 6-3, 6-1, to barrel into the final of the girls’ singles.
Familiar with the soft and slippery grounds of Manila Polo Club clay courts, Eala displayed the brand of tennis she learned from Rafael Nadal Academy to arrange a duel for the title against Dasha Plekhanova of Canada.
Plekhanova, 14, pulled off an upset over Janice Then of Indonesia, 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, in the other semifinal duel.
Eala is coming here fresh from her victory in the I Trofeo Juniors in Spain where she ruled both singles and doubles divisions.
And just like her, Plekhanova is riding the crest of her recent ITF juniors triumph in Sweden, making the championship match a battle between two very promising players.
Last year’s Week 1 boys’ singles champion Arthur Craig Pantino faltered in his bid after he dropped a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 decision to Japanese Fumida Yoshino.
Yoshino will take on top-ranked Mann Shah of India, who overcame Australian Tom Evans, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.