Alex Eala at her best in Sao Paulo Open demolition of Mansouri

September 10 ------ RIDING the momentum of her maiden WTA title run in Guadalajara, Alex Eala crossed continents to join the historic comeback of the São Paulo Open, which returned to the WTA 250 calendar after a 25-year absence.

The tournament is under the WTA Tour and stands a level higher than the WTA 125 tournament in Mexico that became the stage for the biggest pro title of the 20-year-old Filipina ace just three days ago. And she made sure to impress.

Now ranked No. 61 in the world, the third seed breezed past French qualifier Yasmine Mansouri, 6-0, 6-2, in a match that lasted just one hour and 10 minutes to book her place in the round of 16. The win came as a fitting follow-up to Eala's 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over Panna Udvardy that gave the 25-year-old her first WTA title just last Sunday morning (Manila time). From here, Eala faces Argentina’s Julia Riera, ranked No. 188 by the WTA, as she continues her bid for back-to-back deep runs.

Eala opened with a statement bagel, sealing the first game after a grueling 10-minute rally before finding her groove and keeping control. Mansouri looked ready to mount a comeback at 3-1 and 4-2 in the second set, but the Filipina was simply too good to be denied, closing out the match in straight sets.

Source: spin.ph