ALEX Eala qualified for the main draw of the ITF W75 2nd Empire Women’s Indoor 2024 in Slovakia after drubbing Iryna Shymanovich of Belarus in straight sets in qualifying on Tuesday.
A day after she climbed to another career-high ranking of world No. 176, Eala needed an hour and 12 minutes to dispatch her foe, 6-0, 6-2, for a place in the main tournament.
The 18-year-old blanked Shymanovich in the opening canto to set the tone for the rest of the match.
She now joins a main draw that has Anna Bondar of Hungary as the top seed.
This is Eala’s second tournament in Slovakia after reaching the quarterfinals and semifinals in the women’s singles and doubles, respectively, of the W50 Trnava tiff.
“Happy with the streak of matches I am able to play here in Slovakia. Let’s go for more,” Eala said on social media.
