Alex Eala sustained the momentum she gained in the first set to upend Turkish Zeynep Sonmez in round one of the Eastbourne Lexus Open qualifiers, 6-1, 6-3, on Saturday night, Manila time.
The 20-year Eala was done in 72 minutes, and advanced to the second round of the qualifiers of this WTA 250 event at the Devonshire Park.
In the final game, Eala broke her rival’s serve when she struck with three deuces to finish off Sonmez.
The world no. 77 with Eala will now be up against Hailey Baptiste of the United States, and they will clash for a seat in the main draw.
Baptiste advanced after turning back China’s Yuan Yun, 7-5, 6-3.
This will Eala’s second win over Sonmez, following an earlier meeting in 2023, after beating her at W60 Nantes in France, 7-6(5), 6-4.
The 5’9” Eala delivered 21 points off her 30 first serves during clash with Sonmez.
Her participation is part of her buildup for her professional Grand Slam tournament at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships in London.
Also in the second round with Eala are British netter Heather Watson and Kamilla Rakhamova, Varvara Gracheva and Viktorija Golubic.
Watson arranged a showdown with Rakhimova after she knocked out Spaniard Jessica Maneiro, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4. Rakhimova eased out US netter Bernarda Pera, 7-6(7-4), 6-7(3-7), 6-3.
