Alex Eala upsets top seeded foe, enters ITF tournament quarterfinal

Filipino tennis star Alex Eala. Photo from RAFAEL NADAL ACADEMY

MANILA, Philippines—Alex Eala scored one of the biggest upsets of her young career when she stunned top seed Seone Mendez, 6-4, 6-1 to advance to the quarterfinal of the ITF Rafa Nadal Academy World Tennis Tour.

Mendez, who hails from Australia, is the International Tennis Federation’s World No.2 player.

Next up for the Filipino tennis star is France’s Carole Monnet, the ITF World no. 14 and the tournament’s fifth seed, in the quarterfinals.

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Eala’s first win in the tournament came at the expense of Anna Paradisi, her partner at Rafa Nadal Academy, 6-1, 6-2.

Eala, 15, is off to a strong start in her 2021 campaign as she looks to bank on a productive 2020 season where she rose to World no. 2 in the ITF Junior World Rankings before dropping a spot down at the end of the year.

Eala’s highest point of her 2020 campaign was winning the Australian Open Girls’ Doubles Championship.