Filipino tennis wunderkind Eala wins first pro women’s title
Filipino tennis wunderkind Alex Eala added to her growing list of achievements, winning her first International Tennis Federation (ITF) professional women’s title at the Rafael Nadal Academy World Tennis Tour on Sunday (Manila time).
Eala, 15, defeated hometown bet Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers in the finals, 5-7, 6-1 and 6-2, held at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain.
Despite facing an opponent 13 years her senior, Eala held her own especially in the last two sets where she dominated.
Cavalle-Reimers pulled the rug from under the Filipino in the opening frame, overhauling Eala’s 5-4 lead, to take an early cushion in the game.
In the next two sets, however, Eala would not relinquish momentum when she got her groove en route to the groundbreaking victory.
The win continued for Eala a solid run in the tennis circuit.
She won the Australian juniors doubles title in January last year then made the semifinals of the French Open juniors tournament later in 2020.
Along the way, she saw her world ranking steadily rise.
Eala is a scholar at the Rafa Nadal Academy and is the number 3 junior player in the ITF and currently ranked 1,180th in the world.
She is also a Globe ambassador.
