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Alex Eala ends a three-match skid with a straight-sets win over Diane Parry at the Ningbo Open
The Filipina left-hander won 6-3, 6-1 for her first victory of the Asian swing. She won seven straight games and made just nine unforced errors.
Alex Eala found her footing again in China.
The Filipina left-hander beat Diane Parry of France 6-3, 6-1 in the first round of the Ningbo Open on Monday to snap a three-match losing streak.
It was her first win of the Asian swing. She had lost to Tatiana Prozorova at the Singapore Open and to Shi Han at the Wuhan Open.
How she won it
The first four games went with serve before Eala broke for a 3-2 lead. Each player then dropped serve once. Eala held for 5-3 and broke again to close out the set.
Her return game was the difference. She won 11 points on Parry's first serve in the opening set, nearly three times as many as Parry won on Eala's first serve.
Eala stretched her run to seven straight games early in the second set and led 4-0. Parry got one break back, but Eala broke right back for 5-1 and served it out.
The world No. 20 made just nine unforced errors to Parry's 25. Parry has now lost five matches in a row.
Up next
Eala will face the winner of the match between Yulia Putintseva and sixth seed Diana Shnaider in the round of 16.
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