Alex Eala breezes past Italian foe to open Eastbourne Open main draw campaign

Tennis - Madrid Open - Park Manzanares, Madrid, Spain - April 24, 2025 Philippines' Alex Eala reacts during her round of 64 match against Poland's Iga Swiatek REUTERS/Juan Medina

Alex Eala made quick work of Lucia Bronzetti with a dominant 6-0, 6-1 win as the Filipina netter was off to a flyer in the Round of 32 of the Eastbourne Open main draw on Monday night (Manila time) in the United Kingdom.

The 20-year-old tennis star made a statement right from the get-go, not dropping any game en route to a one-sided Set 1 victory.

But the older Bronzetti put together a gallant stand in Set 2, clinching a game point multiple times in an extended Game 6 before the Philippine bet seized her own break point and the win for a huge 5-1 lead.

Bronzetti had a 30-15 start in Game 7 before forcing a deuce, but Eala made sure to finish it off by going for a slow attack.

With the win, world no. 74 Eala is through to the Round of 16 against either home bet Sonay Kartal of UK or third-seeded Jelena Ostapenko, whom Eala defeated during the Miami Open Round of 32.

?Eala previously had to go through a pair of games in the qualifying round, outlasting Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey and Hailey Baptiste of the United States to book a main draw ticket.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News

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