By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Top Filipino junior netter Alex Eala showed steely resolve by downing Israel’s Shavit Kimchi, 6-0, 4-6, 6-2, in the opening round of the 2020 Australian Open Juniors Championships on Sunday in Melbourne.
The 14-year-old Eala, seeded fourth in the Grand Slam event, won the opening set with nary a trouble but relaxed in the second frame that saw her rival gain confidence on the way to forcing a deciding third frame.
But the Filipino bet got her rhythm back to prevail.
She will next face France’s Julie Belgraver, a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 winner over wildcard bet Mia Repac of Australia.
Eala will also see action in the girls doubles with Indonesian Priska Madelyn Mugroho, where they will be clashing with Russia’s Elina Avanesyan and Ukraine’s Liubov Kostenko in the opening round on Monday.
Eala is currently ranked No. 9 in the International Tennis Federation junior rankings – her highest feat so far – but she has never made it past the second round of a Grand Slam event.
She reached the second round of last year’s US Open.
