AT A GLANCE
Alex Eala crushed German qualifier Anja Wildgruber, 6-1, 6-1, at the start of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) W25 Monastir in Tunisia Wednesday.
Alex Eala crushed German qualifier Anja Wildgruber, 6-1, 6-1, at the start of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) W25 Monastir in Tunisia Wednesday.
The top-seeded Eala, who turned 18 the day before, hardly broke a sweat and held her serve throughout to destroy her opponent in 55 minutes.
Alex Eala. (Alex Eala on Facebook)
Wildgruber looked poise in the opening set after putting Eala in a deuce, which the Filipina overcame to hold serve and raced to an early 3-0 lead.
The German had her moments in the next sequence after scoring four straight points to hold serve for the first time, but Eala went on another three-game run to take the first set.
The second set was no different as Eala, the 2022 US Open Girls’ singles champion, refused to give Wildgruber any chance of a comeback to seal her first victory in the tournament.
The win set up Eala a second round meeting with 23-year-old Swiss Nadine Keller, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over wildcard bet Victoria Mikhaylova.
