Alex Eala, partner enter semifinals after upset of W25 Aldershot top seed

Alex Eala and Polish doubles partner Radwanska. –ALEX EALA FACEBOOK

MANILA, Philippines — It was a double victory for Alex Eala on Wednesday in the W25 Aldershot as she opened her singles campaign on a high note and entered the doubles semifinal with her partner Urszula Radwanska of Poland in Great Britain.

The 18-year-old Filipino, who ruled the W25 Roehampton last Sunday, kicked off her bid to a second consecutive International Tennis Federation (ITF) title with a 6-2, 6-4 win over home bet Ranah Akua Stoiber in the first round.

“Two good wins today! Had a lot of fun in both matches, going through to the next round in singles and semifinals in doubles tomorrow,” Eala said in a post on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/AlexEala/posts/pfbid0YGRHNMDZZgDZvDBevMUgSrZqG1cmZwiTFv3AV2M2tyJ4XSKL3pjLukEx3JXZEES5l

https://www.facebook.com/places/Things-to-do-in-Aldershot/107743589255005/

Eala, who is currently Women’s Tennis Association’s No. 248, takes on Australia’s Talia Gibson in the round of 16 on Thursday as she eyes her fourth pro title — third championship this season.

After winning her singles game, Eala and Polish partner Radwanska upset the No.1 seed tandem of  Emily Appleton and Lauryn John-Baptiste, 6-3, 7-5, to reach the semifinal.

The Filipino-Polish tandem dug deep from a 2-5 deficit and won five straight games to take down the home bets in 78 minutes and barge into the final four.

Eala and Radwanska battle Japan’s Erina Hayashi and Saki Imamura also on Thursday evening.

The Rafael Nadal Academy graduate is eyeing her first ITF doubles crown as she last made it to the finals in May 2021 in the W25 Platja D’Aro in Spain with partner Oksana Selekhmeteva.