By MARK REY MONTEJO
Alex Eala shrugged off a second-set stumble and turned back Poland’s Katarzyna Kawa, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, in the rain-delayed match to barge into the second round of the Suzhou WTA 125 tournament in China on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Despite a couple of delays due to heavy rains, the 20-year-old Eala didn’t let the weather dampen her run as she climbed back from a 3-4 deficit in the third set and turned it to a 5-4 lead, helping her seal the game.
The victory set up Eala a Round-of-16 clash against Belgian Greet Minnen, who previously beat China’s Han Shi, 6-4, 6-0.
It was a sort of a bounce back win for the Filipina netter after falling short in the semifinal round of Jingshan Tennis Open a few days ago.
But more than that, Eala exacted sweet revenge after losing to Kawa, 2-6, 6-4, 6-0, in the second round of the W60 Templeton exactly three years ago.
