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Alex Eala. (Photo from Alex Eala’s Facebook page)
MANILA – Alex Eala’s campaign at the French Open got off to a good start on Sunday, beating Natália Szabanin in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris.
The Filipino teen sensation, second-seeded in the women’s division, bounced back from a poor start before dominating her unranked foe Hungary.
Szabanin looked ready for a surprise, starting the match with four straight games won and falling just two wins away from sweeping Eala in Set 1.
However, Eala won the next nine games not only to steal set 1, but also to take a 3-0 lead in set 2.
After Szabanin won Game 4, Eala took the next three games in the second set to clinch the match.
Eala, the world number four in the girls’ youth game, will face Mara Guth of Germany in the second round.
Guth defeated Sarah Iliev of France in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
Eala was placed in Section 4 alongside three more seeded players.
However, two of them already got the start in Round 1.
Seventh-seeded Maria Bondarenko of Russia fell to non-seeded Tara Wurth of Croatia, 7-6, 4-6, 5-7, while twelfth-seeded Alexandra Yepifanova of the United States lost to Linda Noskova of the Republic Czech, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6.
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