Alex Eala Advances to Third Round at National Bank Open with Victory Over Alycia Parks Alex Eala continued her impressive run at the National Bank Open in Toronto by defeating Alycia Parks in a three-set match, securing her place in the third round. The Filipina, seeded No. 25 after her title win at the Mubadala DC Open, triumphed with a score of 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, overcoming a challenging opponent and avenging her earlier loss to Parks at the Australian Open. The victory marked Eala’s sixth consecutive win on North American hard courts, further solidifying her dominance in the region. The match began with Eala asserting her control, breaking Parks’ serve in the fourth game to take an early lead. She maintained her composure, navigating a tightly contested service game to extend her advantage to 4-1. Parks, despite firing four aces in the first set, struggled to sustain her serve from the baseline, committing 18 unforced errors. Eala, in contrast, remained steady, limiting her own mistakes to just seven while extending rallies and capitalizing on Parks’ errors. The reigning DC Open champion seized full control of the first set, breaking Parks for the second time in the sixth game and serving it out to wrap up the set in 31 minutes. Parks responded strongly in the second set, holding serve comfortably through the opening two games. However, Eala’s relentless returning pressure tested the American, forcing her into errors. Parks managed to break back in the 10th game and served it out to force a deciding third set. The third set saw Eala regain her rhythm, breaking Parks in the first game and following with a hold of serve to take a 2-0 lead. Parks fought back, breaking Eala to level the set at 2-2, but Eala quickly regained control, forcing a string of errors from the 2023 Cincinnati doubles champion.#alex_eala #toronto #alycia_parks #national_bank_open #catherine_mcnally
