By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala overcame the hard-serving Anca Todoni, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3, to barge into the main draw round of the Lexus Nottingham Open in Great Britain on Sunday, June 15 (early Monday, June 16, Philippine time).
The world No. 77 Eala claimed three break points against her Romanian rival, who fired 12 aces against two double faults in the two-hour, 19-minute contest.
Though she failed to close out the match early after a tight second set, Eala maintained her composure and quickly grabbed the momentum at the start of the deciding third frame en route to the win.
She was coming off another 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva the other day.
Up next for Eala is a familiar rival in sixth seed Magda Linette, a 31-year-old Polish veteran currently ranked No. 31 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
The Filipina sensation last fought Linette at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open in February last year, where the Polish triumphed, 7-6 (4), 6-1.
Linette, who was ranked as high as No. 19 in March 2023, boasts of reaching eight finals on the WTA Tour, winning three titles and finishing in the semifinal of the 2023 Australian Open.
This marks her second grass court tournament this year after finishing in the first round of the Libema Open in the Netherlands last June.
Eala, meanwhile, is now in her third grass court event this season, reaching the quarterfinals of the Lexus Ilkley Open last week.
