MANILA – Alex Eala of the Philippines moved past the first round of the W60 Trnava tournament in Slovakia on Tuesday with a 6-1, 6-0 win over sixth-seeded Leyre Romero Gormaz of Spain.
It was the second meeting between the left-handers, following the Filipino’s third-round victory over the Spaniard at the 2020 Roland Garros Junior Championships.
In their first clash on the professional tour at the TC Empire indoor hard court, the 17-year-old Eala quickly secured a 3-1 lead with a service break after her 20-year-old opponent hit a long backhand.
WTA World No. 220 Eala, the reigning US Open Juniors singles champion, advanced to 5-1 with another break of serve.
She claimed the first set, 6-1, with a clean forehand down the line at 40-0.
In the second set, World No. 176 Romero Gormaz was unable to catch up as Eala dominated with a 3-0 edge after converting her third break point opportunity.
The competition was then put on a pause due to a medical timeout called by Romero Gormaz.
When play resumed, Eala maintained her momentum with a love service hold for 4-0, followed by a love service break that allowed her to serve for the match at 5-0.
At 40-15 in the sixth game, Eala forced a forehand service return error to clinch the upset win, 6-0.
