Alex Eala believes she is slowly finding her rhythm on the grass court even if she has just played two games in the Birmingham Open in England.
Eala, 21, said that while she still has ways to go, she is already liking her movement on grass courts in the pursuit of winning a prestigious Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 tournament.
The Rafael Nadal Academy graduate is coming off a convincing 6-2, 7-5 win over Alina Charaeva of Russia in the Round of 16 last Thursday.
“If you ask me after this match, I really like grass! But yeah, it definitely takes some getting used to, and England has the weather,” Eala said.
“I think I was on the cusp of finding my rhythm, and I trusted myself that even if it went to a third set, I had the level.”
As of press time, Eala is battling Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand in the quarterfinal in a rematch of their gold medal match last December in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok.
A win will secure Eala a match against the winner between Mary Stoiana of the United States and Rebeka Masarova of Switzerland in the semifinal.
Eala will also receive $11,705 or roughly P719,000 if she makes it to the next phase of the Birmingham Open.
The Filipina ace will also be competing in the Queens Club Championship in London starting on 8 June.