Eala sizzles in Brazilian debut

Alex Eala hardly played like a newcomer in Brazil as she made short work of Yasmine Mansouri of France in the Round of the 32 of the Sao Paulo Open on Wednesday morning (Manila time) at the Parque Villa-Lobos.

Fresh from winning her first Women’s Tennis Association title in the Guadalajara 125 Open, the 20-year-old Filipina dominated at both ends to crush the world No. 380 from France, 6-0, 6-2, in just 70 minutes of action.

Eala was so dominant that she refused to yield a game and hand Mansouri the bagel, much to the delight of the large Brazilian crowd who took time to cheer for her after watching home bet Laura Pigossi beat Elizabeth Mandlik of the United States in three sets.

After Eala’s match, the crowd stayed behind to watch Brazilian top seed Beatriz Haddad Maia crush Italian qualifier Miriana Tona.

The only chance that Mansouri had against the red-hot Eala was when she broke her set in the second set before the Filipina gained control in the fifth game to dictate the tempo the rest of the way.

But it wasn’t the easy win that sent Eala smiling in her post-match interview.

“This is the first time in Brazil and my first time in South America, actually, so I’m happy to see that the crowd is so lively,” said Eala, who obviously plays well whenever being egged on by the crowd.

In fact, during her match against Clara Tauson in the first round of the US Open recently, a small group of Filipino supporters showed up at Flushing Meadows to boost her morale, prompting her to make history by becoming the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam match in the Open era.

“I didn’t expect so many people to come out and watch me play. I guess I was a bit lucky to be sandwiched in between two great Brazilians, so I’m happy to be here to be able to play well.”

Eala, who ranks No. 61, is battling Julia Riera of Argentina in the Last 16 at press time.

Riera, currently at No. 188 in the WTA rankings, took down Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia, 6-3, 7-6, to set up a showdown with Eala.

Eala and Riera are currently 1-1 in their head-to-head matches.

Riera denied Eala a main draw slot in the French Open last year after a 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 win in the third qualifying round before the Filipina posted a 6-3, 6-1 victory to gain payback in the first round of the W100 Cary in the United States in August last year.