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Eala dispatches Dutch rival, advances to second round in rain-delayed match in Portugal

Sports

Eala dispatches Dutch rival, advances to second round in rain-delayed match in Portugal

At A Glance

Not even rain delays could dampen the hot start of Alex Eala in her claycourt season campaign as she dispatched unseeded Anouk Koevermans of the Netherlands, 6-3, 6-4, in the opening round of the Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal on Tuesday, April 15.

Not even rain delays could dampen the hot start of Alex Eala in her claycourt season campaign as she dispatched unseeded Anouk Koevermans of the Netherlands, 6-3, 6-4, in the opening round of the Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal on Tuesday, April 15.

Alex Eala opens her claycourt season campaign on a high note. (File Photo/Alex Eala Facebook)

The world No. 72 Eala, who is the top-seeded player in this Women’s Tennis Association (WTA125) tournament, overcame a shaky start to prevail in the match that was postponed due to inclement weather.

She dropped the third and fifth game but still went on to win in the first set, on Monday, April 14, before the play was stopped twice due to rain.

Koevermans was actually leading 3-2 when play was first halted, and kept her lead at 4-2 before it was stopped again. They went on the play a few points before pausing it again, until organizers decided to suspend the match and reschedule it the following day.

Eala used that time to regain her composure and returned to the match with more grit, winning the next four games to advance to the Round of 16.

Meanwhile, the 19-year-old Filipina tennis sensation is set to team up with American Katie Volynet -- the same rival that she beat in the opening round of the Miami Open last month -- in the doubles on Wednesday, April 16.

The unseeded pair, however, will have their hands full in the first round as they clash with American fourth seed Carmen Corley and Christina Rosca.

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