Eala dominates at start of Linz Open in Austria

Sports

ALEX Eala marked the start of her clay court season with a dominant performance, cruising to a 6-4, 6-3 win over hometown bet Julia Grabher in the Linz Open on Wednesday morning (Philippine time) in Austria.

Egged on by a sizable Filipino fans, Eala extricated herself from a tight duel in the first set then scored a decisive win in the second set to advance to the second round of the WTA 500 tournament.

The 29-year-old Grabher, ranked No. 89 in the world, forged a 4-all standoff in the first set before Eala won two straight to close out the opening frame.

The 20-year Filipina tennis raced to a 4-1 lead in the second set to seize full control.

The World No. 46 Eala will face a tougher match in the Round of 16 where she will take on World No. 23 and fourth-seeded Jelena Ostapenko.

Eala has won her last two matches against Ostapenko.

Eala defeated the Latvian in the second round of the Miami Open last year. The Filipina tennis star then proved that the win was no fluke when she defeated Ostapenko again in the Round of 16 in the Lexus Eastbourne Open.(CCM)