Even before Alex Eala bowed out early in the Wuhan Open — a WTA 1000 event just a notch below the Grand Slams — the Filipina teen already feels grateful to score a spot in the main draw

MANILA, Philippines – By this time in the women’s pro circuit, Alex Eala’s opponents already have the blueprint on how to defeat the Filipina teen tennis standout — pounce on her still developing service game.

World doubles No. 1 and world singles No. 37 Katerina Siniakova did just that in the opening round of the WTA Wuhan Open as she thoroughly outclassed Eala in a straight set dismantling, 6-3, 6-1, on Tuesday, October 8, at the Optics Valley International Tennis Centre in the Hubei Province of China.

But it seemed to have hardly dented the resolve of the Filipino teen, who said even before the match that she’s “nothing but happy to be here.”

Eala was one of only four players given wild card slots to the main draw of the tournament, a WTA 1000 event just slightly lower in terms of points and prestige than the Grand Slams and the WTA Finals. 

Had the 19-year-old Filipina advanced, she would have faced three-time Grand Slam champion and singles world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka.

Eala actually got off to a strong start, breaking Siniakova in the very first game of the opening set. 

The Filipina followed this up by holding serve to establish a 2-0 lead. But that turned out to be the last time she would hold on to her serve the entire match.

Siniakova, a two-time Olympic gold medalist from the Czech Republic, started to find her groove in the third game when she got on the scoreboard by breaking Eala’s serve. 

The 28-year-old went on to erect a 4-2 advantage, but Eala fought back with a service break to temporarily stall Siniakova at 4-3. That, however, was the last display of resistance from the Filipina as Siniakova secured the next two games to go up by a set.

There was no stopping Siniakova in the second set as she continued to attack with ferocity Eala’s serve and send her young foe scampering all over the court in their rallies.

After an exchange of service breaks in the first two games, Siniakova swept the next five games to finish the match in just an hour and seventeen minutes. 

Siniakova has won nine doubles Grand Slam titles and holds wins in singles over former world No. 1 players Naomi Osaka, Maria Sharapova, Garbiñe Muguruza, and Angelique Kerber.

Her edge in experience over Eala clearly showed, earning 54% of her service points compared to just 33% by Eala. 

The Czech also dominated the return points, converting 67% of her returns compared to 46% by the Filipina. 

At 150th in the world, Eala was the third-lowest ranked entry in the main draw, next only to world No. 162 and former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin of the United States and hometown bet and world No. 250 Shuai Zhang, who was ranked 22nd in the world in early 2023. 

Eala, who trains at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain, will most likely remain in Asia since there are six other WTA events scheduled in October to be held in China, Hong Kong, and Japan. – Rappler.com