She showed a strong performance as she stopped into the “clay season.”
On Wednesday (April 8), Manila time, Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala competed in the Upper Austria Ladies Linz Open in Austria.
The 20-year-old faced off with hometown bet Julia Grabher in their Round of 32 match in the WTA tournament, which is also marked their first time to ever play against each other.
It was not an easy feat for the Pinay netter as she had to deliver strongly to keep her toe-to-toe with Grabher in the first set, which she eventually won after taking control of the match.
It seemed that she had already established her momentum in the second round, as despite facing tough opposition, Eala emerged victorious, ending the scoreboard at 6-4, 6-3.
With this win, the Filipina, who is currently world number 45, will proceed to the next round of the tournament, which is the Round of 16, where she is expected to cross paths anew with Latvian player Jeļena Ostapenko.
Linz marks the first of Eala’s scheduled appearances during the clay season, as she is also expected to go to the 2026 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, which will happen from April 13 and the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain from April 21.
