By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala finally broke out of her slump and qualified in the main draw of the ongoing 2022 W25 Macon tennis tournament in France.
After disappointing results during her previous professional stints, Eala had a strong qualification round in France and got the better of Helena Stevic, 6-0, 7-5, and Ines Nicault, 6-4, 6-3.
Eala was in her usual hitting rhythm when she dominated both Stevic and Nicault in the baseline game and finally had a consistent service outing compared to her last matches.
Against Stevic, Eala kicked off the match with booming forehand winners and took control of the service department.
However, Stevic attempted to equalize the sets with a valiant effort in the second set but Eala’s timely baseline winners prevented a third set decider that set up a clash against Nicault.
Despite a shaky start against Nicault with eight total double faults, Eala still gathered herself and ended the contest with clutch winners to nab the main draw qualification.
Eala’s stellar 72 total points won compared to Nicault’s 57 was her edge in the game as her consistent rallies helped her prevail in the clash.
Awaiting Eala in the Round of 32 main draw in the W25 Macon is Anna Ukolova from Russia who is a 22-year-old upcoming star.
Eala is seeking to bounce back from a sub-par performance in the Round of 16 2022 ITF professional tournament when she lost against Chloe Paquet, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
