TENNIS: Alex Eala subdues Russian foe in straight sets in Philippine Women's Open

It's payback time for Alex Eala. In what seems to be a reversal of fortune, the world number 49 Eala of the Philippines outclassed her former tormentor Alina Charaeva of Russia, 6-1, 6-2 in the round of 32 of the WTA 125 Philippine Women's Open at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila, Philippines.

Charaeva is currently at number 163 of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings, 114 places below Eala. Eala, the second seed of the tournament, last met the then 17-year-old Charaeva in 2020 when Eala was 14 years old in an International Tennis Federation (ITF) match in Spain. Eala also lost in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.

Eala will advance to the round of 16. This tournament is the first ever WTA event in the Philippines.