Eala makes winning debut in $60K tilt

FILIPINA tennis ace Alex Eala bagged her first $60,000 tournament prize money with a rousing 7-6 (6), 6-2 win over Frenchwoman Margot Yerolymos in Bellinzona, Switzerland on Tuesday evening (Philippine time).

Eala, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) No. 715-ranked player, outlasted WTA No. 323 Yerolymos in the first set as Alex climbed from a 1-3 hole to win the opener.

The 15-year-old Eala carried the momentum in the second set, zooming to a 3-0 lead.

The 23-year-old Yerolymos made it 3-2, but remaining in control, Eala won three games in a row to gain victory in the two-hour match.

She barged into the second round to face Romanian WTA No. 206 Laura-Loana, whom Eala beat earlier this year in the W25 Grenoble.

The No. 3 junior player in the world, Eala is fresh from her stint at the Miami Open, where she exited in the first round of the qualifiers.