By REY C. LACHICA
It was not a perfect start for the country’s top junior netter Alex Eala in Paris but what she showed – resolve-wise – was great.
She was trailing 0-4 in the first set before she rediscovered her rhythm to complete a 6-4, 6-1 win over Hungarian Natalia Szabanin at the start of the French Open Juniors Championships on Sunday (early Monday in Manila).
Seeded No. 2 in the Grand Slam event, Eala, who trained at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Spain, was jittery at the start, committing errors left and right.
She in fact dropped her first two serves – in the second and fourth games – and appeared headed to an early exit – and vacation in the charming French capital.
But she rallied furiously, hitting the ball with the ferocity of a wounded tigress to finally overhaul the deficit and win the match at a near-empty Roland Garros stadium.
At times, she produced some delicate drop shots that saw the Hungarian shake her head in sheer disappointment.
Though she dropped her serve in the fourth in the second set, Eala encountered little problem in completing her impressive comeback as she once again turned on the heat to overwhelm her rival.
Her match was delayed by almost an hour due to bad weather but there was no stopping the future of PH tennis to advance to the second round of the event where she’s hoping to an impression.
In the second round, she will face German Mara Guth who outsteadied wildcard Sarah Iliev of France, 6-4, 6-3.
