Eala dumps rival in first qualifying match in Tunisia

BY KRISTEL SATUMBAGA-VILLAR

Oct 15, 2023 02:11 PM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Alex Eala returned to the competition scene on a high note with a 6-1, 6-0 thrashing of hometown bet Feryel Ben Hassen in the first qualifying round match at the Jasmin Open Monastir in Tunisia on Saturday, Oct. 14. 

Alex Eala returned to the competition scene on a high note with a 6-1, 6-0 thrashing of hometown bet Feryel Ben Hassen in the first qualifying round match at the Jasmin Open Monastir in Tunisia on Saturday, Oct. 14.

Alex Eala competes in her first tournament since winning two bronze medals at the 19th Asian Games. (File Photo/Alex Eala Facebook)

The 18-year-old Eala did not waste time unleashing crisp shots to send her lesser-ranked rival scrambling for returns.

The victory arranged Eala a crucial meeting with Elsa Jacquemot of France, who thumped Spain’s Irene Burillo Escorihuela, 6-3, 6-4. 

Another win would earn Eala a spot in the main draw round of this $250,000 Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) event.

Jacquemot, 20, is ahead of Eala on paper with a WTA ranking of No. 172. The Filipina teen sensation, for her part, is at No. 194.

The French netter also boasts of a Round of 64 finish at the 2022 Roland Garros.

The main draw has world No. 31 and top seed Jasmine Paolini, France’s Alice Cornet, doubles specialist and second seed Elise Mertens of Belgium and world No. 42 Martina Trevisan also of Italy, to name a few. 

This is Eala’s first tournament in the women’s circuit since winning bronze medals in the singles and mixed doubles at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Gymnast Aleah Finnegan qualifies to 2024 Paris Olympics

BY KRISTEL SATUMBAGA-VILLAR

Oct 3, 2023 09:20 AM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Finnegan also becomes the first female gymnast from the Philippines to compete in the Olympics since Evelyn Magluyan and Maria Luisa Floro saw action in the 1964 Tokyo edition.

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Aleah Finnegan becomes the latest Filipino athlete to qualify to the 2024 Paris Olympics following her all-around performance in the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.

Aleah Finnegan becomes the first female gymnast from the Philippines to compete in the Olympics since 1964. (File Photo)

The Fil-American placed 32nd in the two-day all-around qualifications with 51.366 points, enough to secure one of the 14 berths at stake to Paris.

“It’s just a dream come true,” a teary-eyed Finnegan said in an interview with Olympics.com. 

“I’m just so thankful for the Philippines for giving me this opportunity that I would never have been able to take otherwise,” she added.

Apart from joining fellow gymnast Carlos Yulo and pole vaulter EJ Obiena to Paris, Finnegan also becomes the first female gymnast from the Philippines to compete in the Olympics since Evelyn Magluyan and Maria Luisa Floro saw action in the 1964 Tokyo edition.

“Just to be here honoring my family, the Philippines, and honoring my dad who is in heaven, and all the people who put in so many sacrifices for me to be here, it is really just a dream come true,” Finnegan said.

A former member of the United States gymnastics team, the Missouri-born Finnegan started competing for the Philippines in the Vietnam Southeast Asian Games in 2022 where she won two gold and two silver medals. 

She also bagged bronze medals in vault and balance beam at the 2023 Asian Championships in Singapore.

Other Olympic qualifiers in the all-around are Algeria’s Kaylia Neymour, Germany’s Pauline Schafer-Betz, Mexico’s Alexa Moreno, Portugal’s Filipa Martins, Hungary’s Bettina Lili Czifra, Spain’s Alba Petisco, Ukraine’s Anna Lashchevska, Panama’s Hillary Heron, South Africa’s Caitlin Rooskrantz, Czech Republic’s Sona Artamonova, Israel’s Lihie Raz, and Slovenia’s Lucija Hribar.

China, Brazil, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Japan, Australia, Romania, and Korea qualified in the team event, joining the United States, Great Britain and Canada.

Finnegan's all-around score also made her the second reserve in the finals. She posted 13 points in vault (18th), 12.433 in uneven bars (73rd), 12.7 in balance beam (38th), and 12.833 in floor exercise (34th).

Asian Games: Rodriguez, Eslapor in beach volley quarters

BY KRISTEL SATUMBAGA-VILLAR

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Rodriguez and Eslapor needed 32 minutes in besting Leong Ong Leng and Law Weng Sam of Macau, 21-15, 21-15, to inch closer to the medal round at the Ningbo Banbianshan Beach Volleyball Centre.

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Floremel Rodriguez and Genesa Eslapor kept their medal hopes alive after barging into the women’s quarterfinals in beach volleyball at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China on Sunday, Sept. 24.

Floremel Rodriguez and Genesa Eslapor inch closer to the medal round after barging into the quarterfinals of the women's beach volleyball tournament at the 19th Asian Games. (File Photo/AVC)

Rodriguez and Eslapor needed 32 minutes in besting Leong Ong Leng and Law Weng Sam of Macau, 21-15, 21-15, to inch closer to the medal round at the Ningbo Banbianshan Beach Volleyball Centre.

The Filipina duo, however, will have their hands full as they arrange a date with Japan’s Miki Ishii and Sayaka Malki, who clobbered Kazakhstan’s Alina Rachenko and Anastassiya Ukolova, 21-8, 21-7. 

The men’s crew of James Buytrago and Jude Garcia, however, fell short in their bid after absorbing a stinging 21-17, 16-21, 15-6 defeat at the hands of Indonesians Mohammad Ashfiya and Bintang Akbar in their Round of 16 duel.

A triumph could have earned Buytrago and Garcia a quarters meeting with Iran’s Abbas Pourasgari and Alireza Aghajanighasab, who advanced via a 21-15 21-15 win over Thais Surin Jongklang and Dunwinit Kaewsai.

Meanwhile, Khylem Progella and Grydelle Matibag try to join Rodriguez and Eslapor into the next round as they battle Woranatchayakorn Phirachayakrailert and Charanrutwad Patcharamainaruebhorn of Thailand at press time.

Eala barges into main draw of Guangzhou Open

BY KRISTEL SATUMBAGA-VILLAR

Sep 18, 2023 03:16 PM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Alex Eala survived American Elizabeth Mandlik, 7-5, 7-6 (3), to barge into the main draw round of the Guangzhou Open in China over the weekend.

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Alex Eala survived American Elizabeth Mandlik, 7-5, 7-6 (3), to barge into the main draw round of the Guangzhou Open in China over the weekend.

Alex Eala wins two qualifying matches to barge into the main draw of the Guangzhou Open. (Alex Eala/Facebook)

The 18-year-old Eala had to dig deep to outlast her more experienced rival to bolster her campaign in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 250 event.

Eala actually needed to win two qualifying matches to make it to the main draw. Prior to her victory over Mandlik, she overcame the persistent attempts of Chinese Taipei’s Liang En-Shuo, 5-7, 6-1, 7-5, in the first qualifying match. 

Up next for Eala is third seed Tatjana Maria of Germany, who is currently ranked No. 48 in the world.

This would be the third time that Eala and Maria are battling one another, with the Filipino bet losing all their previous meetings.

They first clashed in the first round of the Thailand Open last January where Eala lost, 6-2, 6-2, and then faced each other once again in the opening round of the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain where the Filipina also yielded, 6-1, 6-1.

The Guangzhou Open will be Eala’s last tournament before she sees action in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, where tennis competitions will start on Sept. 24 at the Hangzhou Sports Park Tennis Center.

PH tossers bow to Kazakhstan in Asian tourney

 BY KRISTEL SATUMBAGA-VILLAR

  

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AT A GLANCE

• The Nationals, composed mostly of National University tossers, squandered a 2-1 set lead and two match-point advantages to succumb in their opening match in Pool D.

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The Philippines yielded to Kazakhstan, 25-21, 17-25, 24-26, 27-25, 15-6, at the start of the 22nd Asian Women’s Volleyball Championships on Wednesday, Aug. 30, in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

PH spikers lose their opening match to Kazakhstan in the 22nd Asian Women's Volleyball Championships. (Asianvolleyball.net)

The Nationals, composed mostly of National University tossers, squandered a 2-1 set lead and two match-point advantages to succumb in their opening match in Pool D.

Leading 24-22 in the fourth frame, the Filipinas lost their steam in the crunch as Kazakhstan pounced on their defense to extend the match into a deciding set. 

From then on, the PH team could not regain its composure as Kazakhstan dictated the pace throughout.

Tatyana Nikitina and skipper Sana Anarkulova unleashed their attacking prowess by combining for 42 kills to finish with 27 and 20 points for the Kazakhs, while Kristina Belova poured in 14 hits for 15 points.

The trio’s performance overshadowed the efforts of Evangeline Alinsug and Bella Belen, who pumped in 30 and 20 points in a futile attempt for Team PH.

While the Filipinas outspiked their rivals by only three kills, 64-61, the Kazakhs turned on their sturdy net defense by posting 14 blocks. 

Valeriya Chumak led the Kazakhs’ defensive plays with six blocks, with Yuliya Yakimova and Anikova adding three and two blocks.

The Filipinas currently plays 13-time champion China as of this writing before facing Hong Kong on Friday, Sept. 1.

The Chinese are coming off a quick 25-12, 25-15, 25-6 triumph over Hong Kong also on Wednesday.

Ten other teams are competing in the other three groups in the tournament, which offers three slots to the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championships.

Alex Eala improves to career-high No. 195 in WTA rankings

BY KRISTEL SATUMBAGA-VILLAR

  

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AT A GLANCE

• The country’s top Filipino tennis player propelled 22 notches from No. 217 to a career-high No. 195 following her last two performances in Great Britain.

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Alex Eala continued her rise in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) after breaching the Top 200 rankings this week.

Alex Eala is now one of the top 200 female tennis players in the world. (File Photo/Alex Eala Facebook)

The country’s top Filipino tennis player propelled 22 notches from No. 217 to a career-high No. 195 following her last two performances in Great Britain.

She claimed her fourth pro title at the W25 Roehampton before settling for the runner-up honors in W25 Aldershot.

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Now playing in the pros full time, the 18-year-old Eala hopes to add more trophies in her growing collection when she competes in the ITF Tour campaign in Japan and China starting next week.

She is also expected to carry the fight for the Philippine team in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China slated Sept. 23 to Oct. 8. 

Alex Eala continued her rise in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) after breaching the Top 200 rankings this week.

Alex Eala to compete in W25 Roehampton this week

BY KRISTEL SATUMBAGA-VILLAR

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Alex Eala continues her quest for a fourth singles pro title when she competes in the W25 Roehampton in Great Britain this week.

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Alex Eala continues her quest for a fourth singles pro title when she competes in the W25 Roehampton in Great Britain this week.

Alex Eala is looking for her fourth singles pro title. (File Photo/Alex Eala Facebook)

 

The 18-year-old is seeded sixth in the $25,000 International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament and is scheduled to see action both in the singles and doubles events. 

She is set to open her singles campaign against Australian qualifier Gabriella Da Silva Fick, who survived France’s Julie Belgraver, 7-5, 7-6 (3), and Japan’s Naho Sato, 6-2, 4-6, 10-3, to make it to the main draw.

This would be the first time that Eala is meeting Fick in the ITF pro circuit.

Though Fick has yet to win an ITF pro singles crown, the 22-year-old British has won five doubles titles including two this year with different partners in W40 Proto and W25 Monzon events.

Meanwhile, Eala is partnering with Australian Destanee Aiava in the doubles where they are slated to battle Japanese duo Naho Sato and Eri Shimizu in the opening round.