Young Ealas cop New York titles

SHOWING their immense potential, Filipino siblings Miko and Alex Eala ruled their respective divisions in the second leg of the Little Mo International Tennis at West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York, recently.

Miko captured the title in the boys’ 11-year-old category by crushing his American foe, 6-1, 6-1, in the finals on his 11th birthday.

“I really wanted to win because it was my birthday. It means that I still have a chance of winning the (Little Mo) grand slam in December,” Miko said.

Not to be outdone, Alex ruled the girls’ 8-year-old division, cruising to a 6-0, 6-0 win over an Egyptian finalist.

“I am so happy that I won again,” said Alex, who called the victory her biggest so far. “This is my biggest trophy. I will practice even harder.”

The twin victories in Colorado and New York kept Miko and Alex a step closer to the Little Mo Grand Slam championship in Florida in December.

The Eala siblings qualified for the tournament after winning the first phase of the Little Mo International Grand Slam Tournament held at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs last July.

The tournament, considered as the toughest tournament for the world’s best 12-under players, drew close to 200 players from Croatia, Canada, Egypt, Jordan, Denmark, China, Japan, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Cayman Islands. Cedelf P. Tupas