By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala flexed her might and trounced Samantha Murray Sharan of Great Britain, 6-4, 6-2, to barge into the main draw of the Guadalajara Open in Mexico on Monday, Sept. 9.
Eala, seeded eighth in the qualifiers, took advantage of Murray’s erratic serve apart from unleashing superb shots to claim a spot in the 32-player main draw that will have former Grand Slam winners in the field.
Among them are 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens, former world No. 1 and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, and two-time French Open winner Caroline Garcia.
Also entered is 2022 Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins
The 19-year-old Filipina tennis sensation actually broke Murray’s serve six times despite dropping her own thrice.
With the win, Eala arranged a first-round meeting with sixth pick Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic.
Bouzkova, 26, boasts of a WTA ranking of No. 45. She ranked as high as No. 24 in December 2022.
The Czech standout is also a regular Grand Slam campaigner, making it as far as the quarterfinals of the 2022 Wimbledon.
She also excels in the doubles with a current ranking of No. 45 and a best Grand Slam finish of semifinals in the 2023 Wimbledon.
Eala, for her part, is currently ranked No. 147.
