MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Alex Eala’s build-up towards Wimbledon is off to a roaring start as the Filipina tennis star beat Darja Vidmanova of Czech Republic in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, in the J1 Roehampton tournament on Thursday morning (Philippine time) in London.
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The 16-year old tennis sensation and long-time Globe ambassador is looking to conquer Wimbledon and win her third grand slam tournament in her young but decorated career. But first, she is looking to gain some more experience playing on grass and is using this International Tennis Federation (ITF) Grade 1 tournament to further sharpen her skills heading to the 2021 Wimbledon tournament, which starts on Monday, July 5, 2021.
The no. 3 ranked juniors player in the world had no trouble disposing of the 18-year old Vidmanova, who is currently ranked no. 35 in the ITF juniors rankings.
Eala’s next opponent will be Matilde Paoletti of Italy.
Meanwhile, Eala was also victorious in the doubles tournament as she and 18-year old Indonesian Priska Madelyn Nugroho slipped past Nicole Rivkin of Germany and Hanne Vandewinkel of Belgium, 7-6, 7-5. The Eala-Nugroho tandem has had tremendous success in the past, winning the Australian Open girls’ doubles title back in 2020.
Eala and Nugroho’s opponent in the next round will be the pair of Barbora Palicova of the Czech Republic and Radka Zelnickova of Slovakia.
