Eala off to strong start in Abu Dhabi Open

Sports

ALEX Eala is having a terrific start in the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi Open.

After a solid start in singles, Eala also kicked off her campaign in the doubles on a resounding note as she and Indonesian partner Janice Tjen outlasted Leylah Fernandez and Kristina Mladenovic, 7-5, 3-6, 10-6, to advance to the tournament’s Round of 8 early Wednesday (Philippine time), Feb. 4, in the United Arab Emirates.

The Southeast Asian duo showed tremendous composure in the deciding set, racking up four straight points to pull away from a 6-all standoff.

The Canadian Fernandez and her French partner Mladenovic were heavily favored in the match owing to their vast experience.

Fernandez is a US Open finalist while Mladenovic is a multiple Grand Slam champion in both doubles and mixed events.

But Eala, ranked No. 45 in the world, and Tjen, ranked No. 47 in the world, could not be denied as they prevented their experienced opponents from completing a huge fightback with their steady plays in the deciding set.

In the quarterfinals, Eala and Tjen will take on China’s Shuai Zhang and Spain’s Cristina Bucsa. Zhang and Bucsa booked a quarterfinal ticket after beating the formidable Ukrainians sisters Lyudmyla and Nadiia Kichenok in their Round of 16 match, 6-1, 6-4.

The 20-year-old Eala will also see action in the singles Round of 16 following a 6-4, 6-3 win over Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez last Tuesday.

Eala’s next opponent is 31-year-old Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich, who is ranked 109th in the world.

Tjen was unlucky in the singles, suffering an early exit after losing to No. 5 seed Russian Liudmila Samsonova in the opening round, 2-6, 2-6.(CCM)