Alex Eala kicked off her campaign with a bang as she booked a 6-4, 6-4 win over Laura Svatikova of Slovakia in the opening round of the W100 Grodzisk Mazowiecki women’s singles tournament Round of 64 Tuesday in Poland.
Eala, the 17-year-old scholar at the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy, delivered a strong start and an even stronger finish to capture her first victory in a W100 tourney, which is the highest category in an International Tennis Federation women’s professional circuit.
With the win, Eala is facing 14th seed Katharina Hobgarski of Germany at press time in the prestigious tourney that stakes $100,000 cash prize.
Hobgarski, a No. 250-ranked tennis player, will be entering the match well-rested after earning a bye in the Round of 64.
She, however, is not yet ready to take it easy.
“I’m super happy to win my first W100K match. Laban pa!” Eala said in a social media post.
The Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist is hunting for her third professional singles title after winning the W15 Manacor in Spain last year and W25 Chiang Rai in Thailand last April.
She is coming off a stint in W25 El Espinar/Segovia in Spain last month, where she bowed in the semifinals to hometown bet Eva Guerrero Alvarez, 2-6, 6-3, 2-6.