FRESH from her conquest at the Abierto Zapopan Open in Zapopan, Mexico, Alex Eala was given a warm welcome yesterday (Monday in Brazil) before plunging into action in the Sao Paulo Open that began at the open-air Parque Villa-Lobos courts in Sao Paulo.
“I am very happy. I was extremely pleased with my performance last weekend and the way I handled each match. It means a lot to me, especially considering all the hard work I’ve put in over the years,” said Eala, 20, who rose to No. 61 in the world ratings and is the No. 3 seed in the WTA 250 tournament.
“Being here, playing tennis and feeling good on the court, is truly special,” said Eala of her maiden tournament in Brazil.
“It’s my first time in Brazil—in fact, my first time in South America—so I’m really excited to be here. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the country. Besides competing for the title, I want to learn about the culture and enjoy the experience,” the netter said.
“In terms of tennis, my goal is to maintain the level I’ve been playing at. Every match teaches something new, so we’ll see how it all unfolds,” added Eala, who was pleased that her Filipinos were called “Filiprimos” by the Brazilians.
“Filiprimos, oh how nice!! So cute,” said the player, who responded by speaking in Portuguese, saying: “O Brazil, aqui es sua Alex Eala (Hi Brazil, I am Alex Eala). Thank you, guys.”
Eala was scheduled to meet world No. 380 Yasmine Mansouri of France last night (5:30 a.m. today in Manila) on the center court of the lush and tree-lined state park in the tourney offering Women’s Tennis Association 250 ranking points and $36,000 (about P2.064 million) to the champion.
