Eala wins second professional crown in ITF W25 Chiang Rai

ALEX EALA beats Thailand Luksika Kumkhum, 6-4, 6-2, in finals of ITF W25 Chiang Rai at the Chiang Rai Sports Center in Thailand. — ALEX EALA FB

ALEX M. Eala captured her second professional title with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over seasoned home bet Luksika Kumkhum in the ITF W25 Chiang Rai at the Chiang Rai Sports Center in Thailand on Sunday.

After pulling away in the hard-fought opening salvo marked by a 4-all deadlock, Ms. Eala was on target in the second frame, racing to a quick 4-1 cushion en route to an emphatic conquest of the $25,000 tilt against the 28-year-old Thai.

It’s more than a year in the making for the 16-year-old Filipina ace, who bagged her breakthrough championship back in January 2021 in the W15 Manacor in Spain, where is also a scholar for the Rafael Nadal Academy.

Late last month, Ms. Eala had an early exit in the prestigious Miami Open featuring the top-ranked netters in the world that proved as a huge stepping stone to her Thailand domination.

She dropped only a single set in the first round against Serbia’s Katarina Kozarov, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, before sweeping Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej, 6-3, 6-4, Japan’s Momoko Kobori, 6-3, 6-3, and China’s YeXin Ma, 6-3, 6-4 all the way to the finale against Ms. Kumkhum.

Ms. Eala has recently climbed in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings at No. 533 after six events with a pair of Round-of-16 finishes in France as her best performance prior to this Thailand championship.

In the International Tennis Federation (ITF) girls rankings, Ms. Eala is at No. 11 though she is yet to play a single tourney in the junior scene this season after bagging the French Open girls’ doubles Grand Slam last year.

A national team member, Ms. Eala will have little to break as she is also listed in the second leg of the Chiang Rai joust this week as part of her preparations for the 31st Southeast Asian Games next month in Hanoi. — John Bryan Ulanday