Published March 3, 2021, 7:42 PM
Alex Eala pounded Swiss opponent Simona Waltert, 6-1, 6-4, to jumpstart her title bid in the ITF Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar World Tennis Tour in Manacor, Spain Wednesday, March 3.
The 15-year-old Eala, who is only in her third appearance at a $25,000 event, waxed hot in the opening set before encountering a stiff challenge from Waltert in the one hour, 45-minute match.
The Filipino bet railed from a 4-3 second-set deficit by winning the next three games en route to the victory.
The win set up Eala a second-round meeting with third seed Jana Fett of Croatia, who survived Latvia’s Diana Marcinkevica, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Published March 3, 2021, 1:31 PM
Photo from Alex Eala’s Facebook account
Teen wonder Alex Eala hopes her meeting with her tennis idol would give her more motivation when she competes in the opening round of the $25,000 ITF Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar World Tennis Tour in Manacor, Spain Wednesday afternoon in Manila, March 3.
In a Facebook post on the eve of her match, Eala posted a photo of her with legend Rafa Nadal.
“So lucky, I get a photo with my idol!” Eala wrote.
“Thank you for all the opportunities and support, Rafa Nadal!”
The photo shows Eala standing beside Nadal with both of them wearing facemasks.
Teen sensation Alex Eala gets another shot at a $25,000 tournament when she competes in the ITF Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar World Tennis Tour in Manacor, Spain on Wednesday.