By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala barged into the main draw of the W25 Joue les Tour after winning two qualifying matches in France.
The country’s top junior player opened her campaign with a quick 6-0, 6-1 victory over Latvian Anna Ozerova on Sunday then followed it up with a 6-2, 6-0 thrashing of German Fabienne Gettwart for a spot in the 32-player main draw field.
Eala clashes with local wildcard bet Jenny Lim of France in the main draw opening round.
The 16-year-old Eala appears to have an edge over her rival owing to her higher ranking – she’s currently at No. 583 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) against 1,591 to her French girl rival.
Winner of the W15 Manacor in Spain last year, Eala is hoping to do better in the event and surpass her third round showing at the W25 Manacor in Spain last January.
This is her fifth tournament this year.
