ALEX Eala displayed sharp all-around form last Sunday night (Sunday afternoon in Europe) to humble veteran Australian No. 2 seed Arina Rodionova 6-2, 6-3 and rule the ITF W25 Roehampton tennis tournament at National Tennis Center in London, England.
In complete command from start to finish, Eala, 18, made mincemeat of Rodionova, who had a lofty Women’s Tennis Association ranking of No. 166 compared to her No. 250, in one hour and 57 minutes of play on the facility just a stroll away from the International Tennis Federation headquarters.
It was the fourth pro title for the feisty Filipina southpaw and her second this season after capturing the W25 Yecla championship in Yecla, Spain last June.
In the first meeting between the two players, Eala opened an early 3-0 lead after breaking Rodionova in the first and third games, the last one after they battled to four deuces, with the Pinay netter sealing it with a backhand crosscourt winner.
The Australian put up a semblance of a fight in the fourth game to break her rival to make it 1-3, but this proved to be fleeting as the Filipina buckled down to win three of the next four games to wrap up the set.
The second set virtually mirrored the first, with Eala once again streaking to a 3-1 lead and padding it to 5-2 on the way to romping off with the championship.
She was 8-of-9 on winning her service games for a high 89 percent clip compared to the 50 percent norm of the Aussie (4-of-8) on top of winning 78 points (56 percent) of the 133 points they contested.
A former scholar at the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca, Spain, Eala also took out top-seeded Australian Priscilla Hon 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals and upset No. 2 seed Ariane Hartono of Australia 7-6(6-4), 2-6, 6-1 in the semis the previous day.
