Eala advances to W40 Petange quarters

MANILA, Philippines -- Alex Eala burst into the quarterfinals of the W40 Petange in Luxembourg after securing a 6-3, 6-1 victory Denmark’s Johanne Svendsen early Friday morning (Manila time).

Svendsen led the first set, 1-3, following a tight fourth game.

However, it was her final win in the set as Eala won five straight games, the last of which was 40-love.

The momentum was carried to the second set as the Filipina jumped to an early 2-0 lead.

After Svendsen salvaged her quarterfinal bid with a won game, Eala ended the one-hour 13-minute match with four straight grueling games.

Eala’s dominance was in full display, as she recorded four service aces.

She also won 32 service points and 27 receiving points, compared to 24 and 15 for Denmark’s pride.

The 204th-ranked tennister in the world, who bagged bronze medals in the Hangzhou Asian Games, is now going to the quarterfinals, where she is highly favored over the Netherlands’ Jasmijn Gimbrere.

Gimbrere is currently ranked 546th in the world in singles’ play.