Eala stuns seasoned foe

MANILA, Philippines — Filipina pride Alex Eala pulled off a stunning 7-5, 6-2 victory over veteran Paula Ormaechea of Argentina and barged into the second round of the WTA 250 Cluj-Napoca Winners Open in Romania late Tuesday night.

It’s the first WTA main draw victory for the 16-year-old ace, who will shoot for for a quarterfinal spot against WTA No. 119 Mayar Sherif of Egypt in the Round of 16 today.

Eala already participated as a wildcard in the Miami Open, a WTA 1000 tilt, earlier this year but she absorbed an early exit in the qualifying draw.

In Romania, she came in as a wildcard player anew but exceeded expectations with a sweep of the 28-year-old Argentine that has almost 600 matches and 15 pro singles titles under her belt.