Eala clinically defeats Hartono in 2 sets in Guadalajara Open

SECOND-seeded Alexandra “Alex” Eala reasserted mastery of world No. 187 Arianne Hartono of the Netherlands, 6-2, 6-2, for a rousing debut in the 2025 WTA125 Guadalajara Open on Wednesday in Mexico.

On a high after a historic US Open stint, the WTA No. 75 Ms. Eala blitzed to a 3-1 lead in the first set then unleashed a 4-0 finishing kick in the second from a 2-2 deadlock to wipe out the 29-year-old foe in a little over an hour of play.

The 20-year-old Filipina pride now holds a 4-0 head-to-head advantage over Ms. Hartono since their first meeting in 2023 when the latter scored a 7-6, 2-6, 6-1 in the W25 Roehampton in Great Britain.

Ms. Eala then repeated in the W100 Bengaluru in India, 6-2, 6-1, and in the Workday Canberra International in Australia, 6-3, 6-3.

Up next for Ms. Eala is No. 122 Varvara Lepchenko of the United States Thursday after also sweeping Maddison Inglis of Great Britain, 6-4, 6-1, in the other first-round duel.

Ms. Eala, who will play in Sao Paulo, Brazil next, is fresh from a breakthrough US Open campaign highlighted by a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11) stunner of world No. 15 and 14th-seeded Clara Tauson.

She ran out of steam in Round of 64 with a 6-4, 6-3 defeat to Cristina Bucsa of Spain but that could not dampen her feat as the first-ever Filipina winner in any Grand Slam main draw. — John Bryan Ulanday