By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Alex Eala moved on to the next round of the Miami Open after defeating Poland’s Magda Linette in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), in their Round of 32 encounter in Miami, Florida yesterday (Philippine time).

The Negros Occidental’s Victorias City standout, who entered the tournament as the World’s No. 29 player, delivered a composed and efficient performance, controlling key stretches of the match to secure the victory.

The 20-year-old Eala showed strength on both ends, tallying 71 total points compared to Linette’s 59, while also winning 13 games against her opponent’s nine.

Eala’s serve proved to be a major factor, particularly on her second serve, where she won an impressive 86 percent of points, significantly higher than Linette’s 58 percent.

She also capitalized on her opportunities, converting two of five break points while limiting Linette to just one break in two chances.

After taking the opening set, Eala faced a tougher challenge in the second as Linette forced a tiebreak.

However, the former kept her composure and dominated the breaker, 7-2, to seal the match in straight sets.

Eala also edged Linette in consistency and momentum, winning more receiving points (24-17) and putting together longer scoring runs, including a maximum of seven consecutive points.

“I think patience was a very key aspect of how I played today,” Eala said in a post-game interview.

“Magda is such a fighter, and every time I play against her, she’s put me in such difficult positions,” the Negrense tennis star added.

With the victory, Eala continues her impressive run in the tournament and moves on to the Round of 16 in the prestigious WTA 1000 event against the No. 13 ranked Karolina Muchova of Czech Republic for the second straight year./ASC, WDJ