Eala sizzles in Asian Games debut, crushes Pakistani

HANGZHOU, China – Fourth seed Alex Eala marked her Asian Games debut with a 6-0, 6-0 romp over Pakistan’s Sarah Ibrahim Khan, fueling hopes for a medal in women’s singles tennis in the 19th Asian Games at the Hangzhou Tennis Centre here Monday.

While a shutout win doesn’t make a medalist in the cutthroat quadrennial competitions, the World No. 191, in transition from top level junior tennis to the pros, hopes to build on her straight-set victory that sent her to the third round against Rutuja Bhosale of India.

Bhosale, seeded No. 13, earlier trounced Kazakh Aruzhan Sagandykova,

Eala, who drew an opening round bye, needed just 39 minutes to dispatch a visibly outclassed Khan. She unleashed five aces while committing two double faults against her rival’s three.

“It was a great game and it was good for my confidence,” said Eala. “I think I came in with a great attitude and a great mindset.”

She took control in the early going in the first match on Court 5, sweeping the first five games in imposing fashion and capping with a love hold feat in the sixth.

Khan saved a couple of break points in the first game of the second frame but Eala broke her again for the fourth time and the Filipina star kept pounding the former with one big shot after another to essay another lopsided win marked by a couple of shutout wins at serve and one love break.

At 18, Eala, the US Open Junior champion last year, is the youngest among the Top 5 players in the fold, led by Qinwen Zhang and Lin Zhu of China, India’s Ankita Raina and South Korea’s Na Lae Han.

The four-time ITF singles titlist is also set to vie in the mixed doubles with fellow junior doubles Grand Slam champion Casey Alcantara with the duo looking to get past Pranav Khanal and Sunira