By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala earned another valuable lesson on the grass courts as she needed an extra set to survive Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, and advance in the second qualifying round of the Nottingham Open in Great Britain on Saturday, June 14.
The 20-year-old Eala fought Gracheva for a little over two hours before prevailing in a contest where she made to tweak her game a bit in the third frame after dropping the second set.
That enabled her to dominate her rival, thus inching closer to earning a spot in the main draw round of this Women’s Tennis Association (WTA 250) event.
Gracheva fired almost on all fronts in the second set, but Eala regained her composure in the deciding third set, rushing to a 5-2 lead and never looked back.
The victory arranged Eala a next date with Romanian Anca Todoni, who overcame a close opening set before edging British Jodie Burrage, 7-6 (2), 6-1.
This mark’s Eala’s third tournament in the grass season, coming off a quarterfinals finish in the WTA125 Ilkley Open where she was the top seed. She is currently ranked No. 77.
