By MARK REY MONTEJO
Alex Eala broke the heart of the Japanese fans as the Filipina ace rolled past crowd-favorite Ena Koike, 6-2, 6-0, in the opening round of the ITF W100 Takasaki in Japan on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
The charming Eala needed just an hour and two minutes to dispatch her rival as she practically put on a clinic, what with her gorgeous shots that caught her rival flat-footed on several occasions.
Eala, 19, arranged a second-round date with Japan’s Hayu Kinoshita, who turned back her countrywoman Kayo Nishimura in her opener, 2-6, 6-0, 6-2.
There, the Asian Games bronze medal winner is likely to face rough sailing.
Also competing in the event are some of continental elites in Chinese Sijia Wei, Thai Mananchaya Sawangkaew and German Tatjana Maria.
Maria is the very player who outlasted her in the second round of Guadalajara 125 Open in Mexico last September.
‘I’m so grateful’: Eala honors Spanish tennis icon Rafael Nadal
Immediately after her match, Eala expressed her gratitude to one of her mentors, none other than sport icon Spain’s Rafael Nadal.
Eala, a graduate of Rafa Nadal Academy (RNA) last year, showered her idol with sweet messages after the Spanish legend played his last professional game at Davis Cup.
“Thank you Rafa! You’ve influenced me in more ways than you know,” Eala wrote on her social media post Wednesday, Nov. 20.
“You have set up unbelievable opportunities for me and so many other kids, and for that I am so grateful,” she added.
Eala was a full scholar in RNA for five years, while also becoming the first Filipino to bag a junior Grand Slam singles crown after reigning supreme in US Open girls’ category.
