Nadal urges Eala: Keep up good work

MANILA, Philippines — Filipina tennis wunderkind Alex Eala has cracked the top 1000 in the ITF women’s singles rankings after capturing her first pro-career title in the W15 Manacor ITF tourney hosted by the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain over the weekend.

From No. 1651 to start 2021, the ITF juniors No. 3 jumped to No. 942. She is expected to move up the rankings with more tournaments lined up in the coming months.

Displaying grit and resiliency, Eala completed a spirited comeback from a set down for a 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 victory against the more experienced hometown foe Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers, a 10-year pro with six ITF titles under her belt.

The feat was more than enough for the Filipina prodigy to earn praise from Nadal, the Spanish legend and “King of Clay,” who has served as the 15-year-old Filipina’s mentor since 2018.

“Congratulations Alex for this is an important moment in your career. We are all very happy for you. Keep up the good work and attitude. Vamos!” said the world No.2 men’s singles player and owner of a record-tying 20 Grand Slams.

Eala’s marvelous run in her first event this year included wins against ITF world No. 2 Seone Mendez (6-4, 6-2) of Australia, Italy’s Ana Paradisi (6-1, 6-2), France’s Carole Monnet (6-7, 7-6, 6-4) and Hong Kong’s Adithya Karunaratne (6-3, 6-4).