Eala sweeps foe to begin Lexus Ilkley Open campaign

MANILA, Philippines — After a string of first-round losses in singles’ competition, Alex Eala started off the grass season with a win at the Lexus Ilkley Open late in Great Britain Tuesday evening (Manila time).

The top-seeded Eala, who dropped to World No. 77 this week, swept Lizette Cabrera, 7-6(4) 6-3 in a match that took an hour and 46 minutes. 

Cabrera, ranked 206th in the world, jumped to a 3-1 lead early on as she punched in two aces in the first four games. 

But Eala tied things up at 3-all, as the two players traded the next four games to have a 5-all deadlock. 

Cabrera gained the upper hand once again, going up 6-5, but the Filipina forced the tiebreak.

There, Eala went up 3-0 and carried the momentum to grab the first set, 7-6(4). 

In the second set, the 20-year-old pride of the Philippines turned it up a notch, turning a 2-all tie into a 5-2 lead as the 27-year-old qualifier was absolutely dominated.

Cabrera punched in seven aces to Eala’s two, but the latter won 28 receiving points to the former’s 20. The Filipina also won 49 service points to Cabrera’s 44. 

Eala will be taking on Valentina Ryser of Switzerland in the round of 16. Their match is set on Thursday, but no time is still set. 

Prior to her win in the Ilkley Open, Eala lost in the first round of the singles’ competition at the Italian Open, French Open and Birmingham Classic.