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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Alex Eala cruises to second round in Guadalajara Open

Alex Eala cruises to second round in Guadalajara Open

Published Sep 3, 2025 08:04 am

At A Glance

  • The second-seeded Filipina overcame six double faults in the one-hour match and broke her Dutch rival's serve six times to bolster her title bid in this Women's Tennis Association (WTA125) tournament.
Alex Eala hardly broke a sweat in dismantling Arianne Hartono, 6-2, 6-2, to advance to the second round of the Guadalajara 125 Open in Mexico on Wednesday, Sept. 3 (Philippine time).
The second-seeded Filipina overcame six double faults in the one-hour match and broke her Dutch rival’s serve six times to bolster her title bid in this Women’s Tennis Association (WTA125) tournament.
The triumph set up her next meeting with American Varvara Lepchenko, who clobbered Australian Maddison Inglis, 6-4. 6-1.
The win was Eala’s fourth in all her matchups with Hartono, reaffirming her mastery over her older but lower-ranked opponent. They first clashed in 2023 in Roehampton, Great Britain, with Eala prevailing in three sets, the battled twice this year -- first, at the Canberra 125 in Australia, then in the Bengaluru tournament in India, both in straight sets.
Tied at 2-all in the second set, the world No. 75 Eala displayed her might by claiming the next four games to seal the win.
Against Lepchenko, Eala is facing an Uzbekistan-born opponent 19 years older than she is. She is currently ranked No. 119, but went as high as No. 19 in her career 13 years ago.
A left-handed player like Eala, Lepchenko has one WTA Challenger title and 13 International Tennis Federation (ITF) crowns. She finished as far as the semifinals in the 2013 Australian Open.
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