The Filipino player beat Victoria Jiménez (6-4, 6-4) in a great tennis final and made it a double win in the tournament of the Peña Vitoriana Tennis club after also winning in the doubles category
The fifth edition of the women’s Araba World Tennis Tour – Open Peña Vitoriana Tennis Club crowned the young player Alexandra Eala as a brand new champion after beating Victoria Jiménez who could not cope with the solidity of the Filipina.
Throughout the tournament, the student of the Rafa Nadal Academy was showing her excellent physical and mental capacity to overcome games. Her ability for the long ball, her powerful drive volleys and her excellent two-handed backhand have been indispensable tools to take a title that will surely make her climb in the WTA ranking, currently positioned at number 155.
After achieving the doubles title the day before, tiredness was not noticeable in Alexandra. On the contrary, the winner of the junior Wimbledon in 2022, set a very high physical level, with deep balls packing a lot of speed, something that weighed over on Andorran Victoria Jiménez who had to defend herself from the bottom for much of the match.
The first set began with a break for Eala to soon take the advantage and take a 5-1 lead. Jiménez took advantage of her powerful serves and some double faults of the Filipino to add three consecutive games based on faith and perseverance in her game. However, Eala recovered to be able to close the set 6-4.
The Andorran chose to paint more aggressiveness in her game. Maybe also risking more. The bet began to bear it’s fruit and, for the first time, she got ahead in the set, 2-3, which seemed like a turning point in the match, above all, for her interests of balancing the contest.
But if Eala has demonstrated anything throughout her contest in the Vitorian event, it is mental power. Under the watchful eye of her coach Joan Bosch and the advice that could be heard from the stands, she soon found her rhythm to take advantage of the unforced mistakes of her opponent, up to three unforced errors, in addition to a double fault. This caused a turn on the scoreboard that marked the way for the firm Filipina.
Jiménez’s desperation led her to break the racket, aware of the superiority of her rival. Safely and without a doubt, again Eala moved with ease in her approach of “from less to more”, which makes her dangerous in key moments.
From 2-3 to 4-4 the game continued neck-to-neck. Then came Eala’s strategic break and the closing off of the clash with another 6-4, to finish off a final in which she was the owner and set the pace at will, showing almost outrageous maturity for a 19 year old.
For the champion of the V Araba World Tennis Tour, there looks to be a more than promising future. For the runner-up also, her great work in the capital of Álava opens the doors wide for the qualys of the US Open.
Undoubtedly, a success for the fifth consecutive year for the organizing club, the Peña Vitoriana Tennis Club that once again put all its efforts into getting Vitoria on the focus of world tennis.