Eala sizzles early, rips Hartono anew

Alex Eala roared early as she pulled off a 6-2, 6-2 win over Arianne Hartono of the Netherlands in the Guadalajara 125 Open at the Panamericano de Tenis in Mexico early Wednesday (Manila time).

Eala, who is expected to barge into the top 70 of the Women’s Tennis Association ranking following a second-round finish in the US Open recently, displayed her prowess from start to finish to complete the easy win in one hour and nine minutes.

It was Eala’s fourth victory over the world No. 187 Hartono, who made the second round of the Wimbledon Championship in 2022.

Prior to the Mexican joust, Eala defeated Hartono, a Dutch national of Indonesian and Chinese descent, in the W25 Roehampton in London in 2023, the Canberra Open in Australia last 1 January and the W100 Belanguru in India last 22 January.

Eala displayed her dominance of her 29-year-old foe when she shattered a 2-2 tie in the second set by winning the next four games and set the tone for the impressive victory.

Eala is battling against Varvara Lepchenko of the United States at press time for a victory that will send her to a Last 16 duel against either Nicole Fossa Huergo of Italy or Katarzyna Kawa of Poland.