By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala crushed Mexican rival Victoria Rodriguez, 6-1, 6-3, to reach the semifinals of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) W25 Yecla tournament in Spain Saturday, June 3.
The second-seeded Eala, who just turned 18 last week, pounced on her unseeded rival with crisp passing shots and strong serves to inch closer to her first-ever title this year.
The victory set her up a Final Four meeting with Argentinean qualifier Lucia Peyre, who escaped past Serbia’s Katarina Kozarov, 6-3, 7-6 (5).
The other semis pits fourth pick Eva Guerrero Alvarez of Spain and Switzerland’s Valentina Ryser.
This marks the first time that Eala and Peyre would be facing each other in an ITF event with the Filipina boasting of a higher ranking at No. 266 compared to her 17-year-old rival’s No. 906.
Though more experienced, Eala is not taking Peyre lightly as the Argentine foe is coming off huge wins after going through two qualifying matches to make it to the main draw.
It was also Peyre’s first tournament in the pro circuit this year as she seeks a follow up of her first pro title last year in the W15 Baza in Spain.
Eala, for her part, has been itching for a third pro title since winning the W25 Chiang Rai in Thailand last year.
This was her best performance so far after making it into the quarterfinals of W25 Monastir in Tunisia last week.
