Eala gets past rival from Turkey

MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala rolled past Turkish bet Zeynep Sonmez, 6-1, 6-3, in Round 1 of the Lexus Eastbourne Open qualifiers yesterday in England.

Eala, the No. 8 seed, will face top-ranked and WTA No. 56 Hailey Baptiste of the United States in the qualifying round finale for a seat in the main draw.

Baptiste also took care of business in straight sets against China’s Yue Yuan, 7-5, 6-3.

But the more dominant win belonged to 20-year-old Filipina, who needed just over an hour to dispatch the 23-year-old Sonmez.

It will be a dogfight given the close rankings of both players in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). Eala is ranked No. 77 and Sonmez at No. 82.

It was a repeat win by Eala over Sonmez after a 7-6(5), 6-4 triumph in the 2023 W60 Nantes in France.

Eastbourne is Eala’s fourth straight tourney this month in England after stints in the Birmingham, Ilkley and Nottingham Opens, serving as her final test before the Wimbledon on June 30 to July 11 in London.

She had a deep quarterfinal finish in Ilkley but exited early in Round 1 of the Birmingham and Nottingham tourneys.