Alex Eala secures women singles bronze in dominant win vs Malaysian

NONTHABURI — Alex Eala assured herself of at least another medal at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, beating Malaysia’s Shihomi Leong in their quarterfinal match, 6-3, 6-1, here at the National Tennis Development Center here on Monday noon.

Eala saw her first taste of real action after missing out on matches during the team event.

The 20-year-old wasted no time against her foe, including a swift 6-1 domination in the second set. She was, however, challenged in the opening set when she trailed Leong at 1-3, before winning five straight games to shift momentum to her side.

After her win, she basked in the adulation of scores of fans that flocked to the stands to catch a glimpse of the WTA No. 52 in action in the biennial meet.

“I’m very happy with the first round, it presented good challenges and I’m happy with how, wala, masaya ako sa crowd, madaming nanood. Maraming salamat sa supporta,” she told POC Media here.

Eala forged a duel with home bet Thasaporn Naklo in the semifinals where she hopes to improve on her bronze-medal finish from the 2022 edition of the SEA Games in Vietnam.

She already has one bronze medal via the team event in this SEA Games.

Eala plays in the mixed doubles later in the day with Niño Alcantara in yet another quarterfinal match, where she can add another medal — at least a bronze — to her haul if they secure the win. (MCO-EM)