STREAKING Alex M. Eala zoomed to the Round of 16 of W25 Joue les Tours in France after running away with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over home bet Jenny Lim on Thursday.
Ms. Eala, who bullied her way into the main draw, sustained her fine strokes with a near-sweep of the first frame that set the tone in her another straight-set victory.
The 16-year-old Filipina is yet to surrender a set in the prestigious $25,000 tilt after making short work of Germany’s Fabienne Gettwart, 6-2, 6-0, and Latvia’s Anna Ozerova, 6-0, 6-1, in the qualifying round.
In the next round scheduled at 1 a.m. today, Ms. Eala faces a tall order against former partner Oksana Selekhmeteva of Russia for a seat in the quarterfinals.
Ms. Selekhmeteva took a 6-2, 2-1 victory over Italy’s Cristiana Ferrando in the first round by virtue of the latter’s retirement.
Mses. Eala and Selekhmeteva teamed up in the conquest of the 2021 French Open girls’ doubles title last June after a runner-up finish in the W25 Platja D’Aro in Spain.
In France anew, the good pals will be on different sides for only the second time in their career with the 19-year-old Ms. Selekhmeteva getting the better of Ms. Eala, 6-2, 6-3, in the W15 Manacor last year.
Ms. Selekhmeteva is the WTA No. 207 compared to Ms. Eala, who is at No. 580 only in her second season in the women’s professional circuit. — John Bryan Ulanday