Alex Eala braved through a strong challenge from Zeynep Sonmez for a winning start to the WTA 500 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.
Alex Eala is off to a strong start to her first WTA 500 tournament of the year.
Eala blasted through Zeynep Sonmez in the first round of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, scoring a 6-4, 6-3 victory early Wednesday morning (PH time).
The Filipina ace, now at a career-high WTA world no. 45, got the better of Sonmez, who entered Abu Dhabi following an inspired run at the Australian Open where she made the third round from the qualifiers.
[RELATED: Alex Eala rises to career-high world no. 45 in WTA rankings]
Eala built a 3-0 advantage in the second set, which ended up being crucial as Sonmez proved to be a tough out.
Still, Eala was game for the challenge as the 20-year-old converted a crucial break point via a a love game for a 5-3 lead.
Serving for the match, Eala needed two match points to complete the victory.
In front of a lively crowd, Eala started strong with her service game and was the first to score a break point for an early 3-1 lead in the first set.
Eala then finished better even after Sonmez recovered to tie the set at 3-all, taking three of the next four games to seal the opening frame.
Eala will face Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round, with the veteran ranked world no. 109 upsetting no. 8 seed Paola Badosa in three sets, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.