Ningbo: Eala ends winless run – Shnaider up next
The Filipina beats Diane Parry 6-3, 6-1 for her first match win since the US Open. On Tuesday Shnaider and Paolini also reached the second round.
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Alexandra Eala has ended her winless run at the WTA 500 event in Ningbo, China. The 21-year-old Filipina, ranked No. 20, beat France's Diane Parry (No. 34) 6-3, 6-1 in the first round on Monday. According to Just Women's Sports and Philstar, it was her first tour-level win since the US Open in September; she had made early exits in Singapore and Wuhan. From 3-3 in the first set Eala won three games in a row, and she raced to a 4-0 lead in the second.
"I'm very happy with my performance," Eala said, according to Philstar. In the second round she faces world No. 13 Diana Shnaider, who beat Yulia Putintseva 7-5, 7-6 on Tuesday, according to ESPN. Jasmine Paolini also advanced with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Anhelina Kalinina, as did Sara Bejlek, who beat Alycia Parks 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Polina Kudermetova beat Cristina Bucsa 7-6, 6-2 and now meets world No. 1 Elena Rybakina, who starts her tournament in the second round. On Monday Leylah Fernandez had beaten Elise Mertens 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. The Ningbo final is scheduled for Sunday, 25 October.