Alex Eala stays unbeaten vs Dutch foe to reach Guadalajara Open last 16

MANILA, Philippines, September 3 ------ Alex Eala maintained her dominance over a familiar foe to advance to the last 16 of the Guadalajara Open in Mexico. Eala extended her winning streak over the Netherlands’ Arianne Hartono following a swift 6-2, 6-2 victory to start her campaign in the WTA 125 event at the Panamerican Tennis Center in Zapopan.

Living up to her billing as a second-seed wild card, the 20-year-old Filipina — who is fresh from a historic run in the US Open — hiked her head-to-head record against Hartono to 4-0. Eala raced to a 3-1 lead in the opening set as she broke Hartono twice through the first three games then proceeded to wrap up the match in 1 hour and 8 minutes.

The win saw Eala beat Hartono for the third time this year following similar straight-set triumphs in the Workday Canberra International in Australia and the Bengaluru Tournament in India back in January. Eala first defeated the world No. 187 Dutch in 2023 in the semifinals of the ITF Roehampton in Great Britain, a tournament the Filipina ruled to capture the fourth of her five professional titles.

Currently ranked No. 75 in the world, Eala looks to make history anew as she eyes her first WTA crown after becoming the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam main draw match in the Open era. She achieved the feat when she pulled off a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (11) win over Denmark’s Clara Tauson in the opening round of the US Open less than two weeks ago.

Eala eventually exited the fourth and final major of the year after a 6-4, 6-3 loss to Spain’s Cristina Bucsa. Up next for Eala in Guadalajara is American qualifier Varvara Lepchenko, who scored a 6-4, 6-1 win over Australia’s Maddison Inglis.

Source: rappler.com