Eala makes singles third round

Alex Eala—AFP FILE PHOTO

Alex Eala appeared to be getting the hang of the grass courts after she barged into the third round of the girls singles of J1 Roehampton in London late Thursday.

The second-seeded Eala bundled out Italian Matilde Paoletti, 6-2, 6-0, to advance in the tournament she’s using to prepare for her first Wimbledon run starting next week.

But she wasn’t as lucky in doubles as she and Indonesian partner Priska Nugroho suffered a 6-4, 6-4 upset loss to Czech Republic’s Barbora Palicova and Slovakia’s Radka Zelnickova.

Eala and Nugroho, seeded second in the meet, won Australian Open girls doubles last year.

Now Eala is expected to focus her attention on singles as she battles German 14th seed Mara Guth late Friday.

Guth progressed after a 6-4, 7-6 (6) win over Briton Kylie Bilchev. The 16-year-old Filipino defeated the German twice before.

The 18-year-old Guth stood her ground against Eala during last year’s French Open but still dropped a 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 decision in the second round.

Two years ago, Eala crushed Guth in the JA Osaka semifinals (6-3, 6-4). INQ