ALEX Eala and her home bet partner Marina Bassols Ribera pulled off a stunning first-round victory against fancied counterparts from India to barge into the quarterfinals of the elite W100 Vitoria-Gasteiz doubles tournament yesterday (July 19) in Spain.
The unseeded Filipina-Spanish tandem swept the second-ranked Indian pair of Ankita Raina and Prarthana Thombare, 6-2, 6-2, in only 64 minutes for a rousing start in the tough $100,000 tourney.
Mmess. Eala and Ribera will face Estelle Cascino of France and Diana Marcinkevica of Latvia today (July 20) at 4 p.m. for a seat in the Final Four.
The Mmess. Cascino-Marcinkevica duo scored a similar 6-2, 6-2 win over Spanish counterparts Ainhoa Meili Fernandez del Moral Perier and Patricia Rodriguez Carretero in the first round.
The 18-year-old Filipina netter will also vie in the singles starting today with an anticipated tough duel against the No. 5 seed Jaqueline Adina Cristian of Romania.
It’s a chance for Ms. Eala to win her fourth title in the women’s pro circuit after a stellar championship run last month in the W25 Yecla in Spain.
Ms. Eala just graduated last month from the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, where she spent five years as a full scholar in the prestigious academy of no less than the Spanish legend. — John Bryan Ulanday
