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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Alex Eala faces tall order vs Romanian ace

Alex Eala faces tall order vs Romanian ace

Published Feb 9, 2021 02:40 pm
Alex Eala
Alex Eala

Rising teen star Alex Eala gets a shot at a $25,0000 pro tournament when she competes in the W25 Grenoble event in France this week.

This would only be Eala’s second appearance at a $25,000 tournament where she will be facing higher-ranked players compared to her previous $15,000 events.

Her first W25 event was at the Open Gran Canaria Nosolotenis in Spain last November, where she made it to the second round.

Eala, who earned a berth as a junior exempt, is set to collide with Laura-Ioana Paar of Romania in the opening round of the 32-player field late Tuesday.

At 32, Paar is more than twice Eala’s age, brimming with experience that got her at the current Woman’s Tennis Association ranking of 190.

The Romanian has 13 International Tennis Association (ITF) singles titles so far, including the W25 Sunderland event in Great Britain last year.

But Eala, just 15 years old, is determined to face the challenge, especially after a successful three-leg campaign in $15,000 events in Spain that saw her winning her first title.

The PH bet, now ranked 942 in the pros, is coming off a quarterfinal finish at the third leg of the W15 Manacor tourney.

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