Eala zooms to Round of 16

MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala breezed through the Round of 16 of the US Open junior championships, churning out a 6-2, 6-3 win over Slovakia’s Nina Vargova yesterday at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

Fresh from a dominant first-round win, the Filipina tennis pride was unstoppable anew in her second sweep victory highlighted by a scorching 3-0 closeout in the clincher to finish off her Slovakian foe in just 75 minutes.

Eala bagged the opening frame in convincing fashion and blitzed to another 3-0 start in the next set. Vargova returned the favor to tie things up at 3 games before Eala’s stronger finishing kick.

The 17-year-old Eala has yet to drop a set in her US Open redemption tour after clobbering Canada’s Annabelle Xu in the opening round, 6-3, 6-0.

Eala, the No. 10 seed, will face the eighth-seeded Taylah Preston of Australia in the third round.