Eala advances in W75 Croissy-Beaubourg tennis tilt

MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala has gone into the next round of the W75 Croissy-Beaubourg tournament in France after sweeping hometown bet Emeline Dartron, 6-3, 6-4, late Tuesday night (Manila time).

It was a dominating display for Eala as she managed to bag the victory in an hour and 16 minutes.

The Filipina, who crashed out of the qualifiers for the Miami Open a week ago, started strong, taking a 3-1 lead before Dartron cut her deficit to a one, 3-4.

The 18-year-old regained her form and had a strong finish, grabbing the final two games.

The second set was tied at four games apiece as the French star showed no quit.

Eala, then, finished off the match as she yielded no other games.

The Asian Games bronze medalist won 26 receiving points compared to 15 for her opponent.

She also punched in 39 service points, opposite Dartron’s 35.

In the second round of the tourney, the world’s number 171 tennister will be facing Germany’s Mona Barthel Wednesday night, Manila time. 

Also on Wednesday, Eala’s doubles play in the same France tournament will begin as she teams up with France’s Estelle Cascino.

The Eala-Cascino duo will face India’s Prarthana Thombare and Switzerland’s Celine Naef late Wednesday night.