ALEX M. Eala debuted in her first $100,000 tourney in style after a 6-4, 6-4 win over Slovakia’s Laura Svatíková in the opener of the W100 Grodzisk Mazowiecki in Poland.
Ms. Eala scored the win in one hour and 23 minutes despite having seven faults against a lower-ranked opponent in Svatíková, who is outside the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) Top 1000.
The 17-year-old ace is currently No. 280 in the WTA, a new career best for her after moving from No. 282 last week.
Ms. Eala was to face Germany’s Kartharina Hobgarski, who gained a first-round bye as the No. 14 seed in the prestigious tourney, in the next phase.
The Filipina pride is hoping for another deep playoff run this time in Poland after a pair of Final Four campaigns in Spain.
Bidding for her third professional title, Ms. Eala made the semifinals of the W25 El Espinar/Segovia and W60 Vitoria-Gasteiz last month plus a finals appearance in the W60 Madrid in June.
Ms. Eala won her first two titles in her promising career in the 2021 W15 Manacor in Spain and the 2022 W25 Chiang Rai in Thailand. — John Bryan Ulanday
