Alex Eala during a WTA Guangzhou Open qualifying game. –ALEX EALA FACEBOOK
MANILA, Philippines—Alex Eala is back on track after reaching the main draw of the WTA Guangzhou Open.
The Filipino tennis ace defeated Russia’s Elena Pridankina, 6-2, 6-2, at Nansha International Tennis Center in Guangzhou, China on Monday to hurdle the qualifiers and advance.
“Feeling great to be back in Main draw here in Guangzhou 🤗🎉Ready to make every moment count,” said Eala in a social media post.
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This, after defeating Chinese bet Gao Xinyu, 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, in the qualifying phase’s first round.
Pridankina went on a neck-and-neck start against Eala, going on a 2-2 deadlock in the first set.
But the 19-year-old Eala showed experience beyond her age and took the next four games to leave Pridankina in the dust in the opening salvo.
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Eala pulled off a similar feat in the second set, going on another four-game streak after a 2-2 standoff.
Eala looks to make it three in a row as she enters a tournament where she got eliminated in the first round of the main draw twice.
The road won’t be easier for Eala as she’ll potentially face top-tier bets Yue Yuan (China), Elina Avanesyan (Armenia) and Marie Bouzkova (Czech).