Rising Filipino tennis star Michael Francis “Miko” Eala won a thrilling final at the Hellenic Bank Masters tournament in Nicosia, Cyprus.
The unseeded 17-year old Filipino, who trains at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca, Spain, beat Moldovia’s Ilya Snitari in an exciting three-setter 6-4 5-7 6-2. The tourney, held from November 11-16, is part of the 2019 International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Junior Tennis Tour.
In the first round, Miko beat Lukas Pokorny of Slovakia in straight sets 7-6(4) 6-2. In the following round, Miko came back from a set down to defeat the tournament’s 5th seed Croatia’s Mili Poljicak 6-7(4) 6-2 6-3. In the quarterfinal phase, he rallied from a set down yet again to conquer Frenchman Thibault Verdier 4-6 6-2 6-3. In the final four, Miko made easy work of March Othman Ktiri of Spain giving up just two games in a 6-1 6-1 victory. Eala’s victory will definitely improve his ranking in the international junior circuit.
Miko’s sister is a teen tennis sensation Alexandra “Alex” Eala, also with the Rafa Nadal Academy. The 14-year-old has surged to the Top 13 (for players aged 18 and below) of the World Junior Rankings of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) after her stellar performance at the Osaka Mayor’s Cup in Japan. She is the 3rd highest ranked junior player from Asia after 7th ranked Qinwen Zheng of China and 8th ranked Natsumi Kawaguchi of Japan who is both 17 years old. Alex is the youngest among the Top 50 junior players in the world.
The Eala siblings who continue to ace their way to the top of the international tennis world and make their country proud are supported on and off the tennis court by their loving parents, Michael and Rizza Eala.
In 2018, Miko and Alex Eala also won their respective tennis championships.
SEND congratulations in the comments below to Miko Eala for winning his new title in Cyprus!
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