EALA BRACES FOR TOUGH 2ND-ROUND MATCH

FILIPINA tennis ace Alex Eala is set to face another big challenge in the Madrid Open in Spain, as she gears up to face off against world No. 30 Sorana Cîrstea of Romania on Thursday in the tournament's second round. Cîrstea was a former world No. 21 in 2013 and is now ranked 30th in the standings of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), although she was ranked 22nd between February and March.

Meanwhile, Eala, currently ranked 170th by the WTA, was fresh off her first-round upset victory over world No. 41 Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine.

On Tuesday, the 18-year-old Filipina, despite trailing at the first set, took the next two sets for a comeback 2-1 (2-6, 6-4, 6-4) victory over Tsurenko.

According to the Rafa Nadal Academy, where Eala studied, this is her first win in a WTA 1000 event and called it "the biggest match of her career."

As of press time, the schedule for the second-round matchup between Eala and Cîrstea on Thursday is yet to be announced.

2024-04-25T03:16:04Z dg43tfdfdgfd