By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
After a good run in France, Alex Eala on Sunday struck fears into the hearts of British bets.
Emboldened by a semis showing at the W80 Poitiers that saw her beat three local bets, Eala crushed Ranah Akua Stoiber, 6-3, 6-1, to advance to the second qualifying round of the W100 Shrewsbury tournament in Great Britain.
Eala easily dispatched her rival to set up a meeting with another British in Mala Lumsden, a 6-3, 6-2 winner over compatriot Emma Wilson.
Another victory would earn Eala a main draw berth in the $100,000 tournament, which currently has five top 100 players in its acceptance list.
Among the fancied campaigners in the event are No. 45 Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine, No. 7 Tatjana Maria of Germany, No. 89 Dalma Galfi of Hungary, No. 91 Marketa Vondrousova of Czech Republic, and No. 93 Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria.
This marks the first time that Eala and Lumsden would be facing each other, thus guaranteeing another fierce showdown.
The 17-year-old Filipina is gunning for her third pro title while the British netter is already a proud winner of three International Tennis Federation titles – the last one in 2018 in a $25,000 event also in Shrewsbury.
She almost won her fourth crown in the W25 Nottingham last July, but lost in the final to Australian Priscilla Hon in three sets.
While Lumsden has more titles than Eala, the PH bet boasts of a higher career ranking at No. 248 compared to the British’s No. 578.
At the W80 Poitiers in France, Eala also went through two qualifying rounds before reaching the semis where she lost to Belgian Ysaline Bonaventure in three sets.
