(CNN Philippines, June 5) — Alex Eala bagged her third International Tennis Federation (ITF) professional title after beating Valentina Ryser of Switzerland, 6-3, 7-5, in the W25 Yecla final Sunday in Spain.
It took 90 minutes for 18-year-old Eala to hold off Ryser in the $25,000 (around ₱1.4 million) tournament.
On her way to snag the ITF crown, Eala emerged victorious against Katy Dunne of Great Britain in the first round then had to overcome Nahia Berecoechea of France in the second round.
The Rafa Nadal Academy scholar cruised past Victoria Rodriguez of Mexico in the quarterfinals before scoring a gritty win over Lucia Peyre of Argentina in the semis.
Eala previously won the ITF title in the 2021 W15 Manacor in Spain and 2022 W25 Chiang Rai in Thailand.
Eala started the year at No. 214 (her career-best) in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings but fell to No. 266. She is expected to climb the rankings following this huge triumph.
