By Edwin Rollon
Alex Eala brushed aside an early injury scare and delivered a dominant performance, rolling to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Russia’s Alina Charaeva late Monday night to ignite the crowd at the Philippine Women’s Open presented by Coca-Cola Philippines at the newly refurbished Rizal Tennis Center in Malate, Manila.
The 20-year-old Filipina sensation briefly halted play early in the second set to seek medical attention for discomfort in her right thigh. But after treatment, Eala returned with renewed intensity, immediately breaking serve and seizing full control of the match.
“It was a little scary at first because I felt something tighten up,” Eala said. “But it’s just a bit of pain, nothing serious. I took some time to relax, and we’ll see how it responds tomorrow.”
Playing the remainder of the match with her right thigh heavily bandaged, Eala showed no signs of slowing down, dictating rallies and refusing to give Charaeva any opening back into the contest.
“The support from the crowd really helped me push through,” she added. “When you hear them cheering, you just want to fight for every point.”
With the win, Eala advanced to the second round, where she is set to face a potential Japanese opponent as she continues her campaign in the WTA 125 tournament backed by the Philippine Sports Commission. (PSC).
Eala’s victory, however, came on a night that saw the early exits of two Filipino wild-card entries. Tennielle Madis and Elizabeth Abarquez bowed to more experienced opponents in the opening round.
Madis, 18, the country’s top local netter, failed to avenge her Southeast Asian Games semifinal loss to Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew, falling 6-4, 6-0. Cebuana pride Abarquez, meanwhile, was overwhelmed by Japan’s Mai Hontama, 6-0, 6-0.
Despite the setbacks, Eala praised her compatriots for competing on a major international stage.
“I’m really proud of them,” Eala said. “Just making it into the main draw of a tournament like this is already a big achievement. These experiences will only make them better players.”
Action resumes Tuesday starting at 2 p.m., with Filipino-adopted player and Croatian star Donna Vekić taking center court against Japan’s world No. 310 Kyōka Okamura.
