Alex Eala hurdles first round of qualifying draw in ITF Belgium

FILIPINO teen tennis ace Alex M.  Eala is through to the next round of the qualifying draw of the International Tennis Federation’s  (ITF) W25 Koksijde in Belgium after defeating Uzbekistan’s Sevil Yuldasheva in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1, Sunday night.

Sixteen-year-old Ms. Eala, a Rafa Nadal Academy scholar, struggled with double faults in the contest but stayed dominant en route to the easy win.

She now faces American Taylor Ng in the second round of the qualifying where the winner advances to the main draw of the $25,000 clay tournament.

Ms. Eala, the number two junior player in the world and no. 639 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), is coming off a bid in her first WTA 250 tournament last week in Romania, where she reached the Round of 16. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo