By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala recovered from a first-set hiccup and stunned Romanian 12th seed Laura-Ioana Paar, 6-7 (6), 6-1, 6-0, in the W60 Bellinzona tournament in Switzerland early Thursday, April 8.
The win set up Eala a third-round date with wildcard bet Simona Waltert of Switzerland, who also pulled off a 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 upset win over seventh pick Antonia Lottner of Germany.
Eala kept her composure after losing the tightly contested opening frame that saw her rally from 3-0 deficit.
The 15-year-old Filipina rising star fought back ferociously in the second set by breaking Paar’s serve in the first game.
The Romanian briefly showed signs of life when she held her serve in the third game, but that proved to be her last gallant stand as Eala won the next 10 games to finally seal the deal in two hours and 15 minutes.
“So happy to win my match today. Thank you for continuing to cheer me on!” Eala wrote on her Facebook account hours after the win.
This marks the third time that Eala will be facing Waltert in the circuit with both players splitting their first two matches.
Eala, 15, won their first meeting in the W25 Manacor in Spain last month, 6-1, 6-4, but the 20-year-old Swiss prevailed in their second duel at the W15 Manacor a week later, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5.
Waltert is currently ranked No. 284 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and is seeking her second International Tennis Federation (ITF) title after ruling the W15 Manacor last month.
Eala, on the other hand, is gunning for her second pro title. She is currently ranked No. 715.
