Alex Eala made quick work of Turkish Zeynep Sonmez in round one of the Eastbourne Lexus Open qualifiers (6-1, 6-3) on Saturday night (Manila time).
With this, the Filipina ace has reached the second round of the UK tournament qualifiers and will now face Hailey Baptiste of the United States for a spot in the main draw.
It was Eala's way of reasserting her mastery of Sonmez, having won against her in a previous head-to-head matchup at W60 Nantes in France in 2023, 7-6(5), 6-4.
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After Eala led by as much as 4-1 in the second set, Sonmez came through, and pushed within one game, 4-3.
The Pinay sensation answered back by taking the next two games to wrap things up.
Currently ranked 77th by the World Tennis Association, Eala is continuing her buildup for her professional Grand Slam tournament at 2025 Wimbledon Championships in London.
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