By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala, raring to produce another impressive winning streak, scored a dominant first-round victory in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Women’s World Tennis Tour W15 Manacor event in Spain Wednesday night.
Eala expectedly blasted unseeded Spaniard Ana Lantigua de la Nuez, 6-0, 6-2, to jumpstart her second pro title bid in the third leg of the $15,0000 tournament hosted by the Rafa Nadal Academy.
The 15-year-old PH bet held her serve throughout the one hour, 27 minute match, breaking de la Nuez five times.
While she hardly encountered problem in dispatching her rival, Eala needs to play sharper and smarter in the second round where she will face German qualifier Silvia Ambrosio.
Though ranked lower than Eala at No. 1125 in the WTA, Ambrosio is coming off a morale boosting 6-4, 6-3 upset win over top seed Margot Yerolymos of France.
The 24-year-old German has been threading through qualifying rounds since the first leg, this time surpassing her opening-round finish last week after going through three qualifying matches.
Eala hopes to cap off the three-leg tournament on a big note after capturing her maiden pro title in the first leg two weeks ago.
Eala, however, failed to get past the quarterfinals in the second leg and seeks to eclipse that previous performance this time.
