Eala starts clay season on high note

MANILA, Philippines —  Alex Eala passed her first clay test this season, scoring a 6-4, 6-3 romp over home bet Julie Grabher in Round 1 of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz Open yesterday morning at the Design Center Linz.

The 20-year-old Filipina needed just 102 minutes to overcome the challenge of Grabher, Austria’s top-ranked player and WTA No. 89, and arrange a gigantic duel against No. 4 seed Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia.

Eala marched on in the 500-level tourney behind strong closeouts in both sets and another roaring support from the crowd.

“I’m happy with the win. I didn’t think there were so many of you Filipinos here in Linz. Thank you for the support and let’s see each other in the next match,” said Eala on her Linz debut packed by overseas Filipinos once more.

“I think it’s amazing. I’m really happy with how they welcomed me and the Filipinos here. I guess we match really well. I’m really thankful for the hospitality. I hope to discover your culture more and have some fun on the court.”

Eala, WTA No. 46, and the 23rd-ranked Ostapenko were projected to battle last night.

It’s the third duel between Eala and Ostapenko in the singles division with the former surprisingly holding a 2-0 advantage over the 2017 French Open champion.

Eala, then outside the Top 100, stunned the seasoned Latvian twice last year – in the Round of 64 of the Miami Open, 7-6 (7-2), 7-5, before repeating in the Lexus Eastbourne Open in England, 0-6, 6-3, 3-2, when the 28-year-old Ostapenko, also a doubles specialist at world No. 14, retired in the third set due to a left ankle injury.