Sao Paulo Round-Up: Alexandra Eala ruthless again as Beatriz Hadda Maia rocks local crowd

Action is back on the WTA Tour after the US Open, and several big stars are hitting the courts in search of points and wins as the season winds down. The WTA 250 Sao Paulo Open saw its top players in action on Tuesday, with Beatriz Haddad Maia—the top seed—bringing joy to the local crowd. Meanwhile, Alexandra Eala was in a dominant mood, making a strong return to the courts after her title win in Zapopan last week.

The Brazilian world No. 27 is the main star of the first edition of the WTA 250 SP Open, a new hardcourt tournament added to the WTA calendar this year. Haddad Maia—the local favorite and the only top-50 player in the draw—comfortably defeated Italian qualifier Miriana Tona. Alexandra Eala had a similar result, dropping just two games against France's Yasmine Mansouri.

Alexandra Eala blazes through Sao Paulo, delivering a dominant performance

This was Eala's return to the courts after her title at the Guadalajara Challenger, and she did so with an impressive victory. She faced French qualifier Yasmine Mansouri, giving her no chance throughout the match. The world No. 61 had a nearly perfect first set, saving four break points against her and converting 3 of 6 opportunities to take the set 6-0. Just two days after lifting the title in Guadalajara, the young player traveled 7,800 kilometers (4,900 miles) to deliver a bagel to her opponent.

Eala maintained her momentum in the second set, winning another three consecutive games and looking far superior to her rival. In the latter part of the set, Mansouri managed to hold a couple of service games, but Eala never lost control of the match. She closed out the win 6-0, 6-2, winning 69% of her service points and 61% of her return points. The victory was a straightforward one, advancing her to the second round and ensuring her return to the top 60 (No. 59 in the live rankings).

Match Statistics Mansouri vs. Eala

Eala has been one of the breakout stars of the WTA Tour this season, with several strong performances. She surprisingly reached the semifinals of the Miami Open, defeating two top-5 opponents, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek, along the way. During the grass season, she reached her first WTA final at the Eastbourne Open, coming from qualifying before falling in a 10-point tie-break in the final to Maya Joint.

The 20-year-old Filipino player made a great impression at the US Open by defeating Clara Tauson (14th seed) in the first round before falling to Cristina Bucsa in the second. In her return to the court, she won the WTA 125 Guadalajara Open title, extending her winning streak to six consecutive victories on Tuesday. The third seed will now face Argentina's Julia Riera in the second round.

Local hero Beatriz Haddad Maia delights home crowd

This was also a return for Haddad Maia, who has a WTA 250 tournament in her home country for the first time to show off in front of her own fans. The world No. 27 is coming off a great week at the US Open, where she had strong support from the Brazilian public who traveled to Flushing Meadows. She had a remarkable run to the 4th round before falling to eventual runner-up Amanda Anisimova.

Haddad Maia is the first seed in São Paulo and the only top-50 player in the main draw, and she showed her favoritism by overwhelming her first-round opponent. She faced Italian Miriana Tona—world No. 409—to whom she conceded only a couple of games throughout the match.

Tona started by showing she had the weapons to challenge the local player, holding her first service game and then putting Haddad Maia in trouble with a couple of break opportunities. However, Bia quickly took control of the match, saving the break points and stringing together five consecutive games to take the first set (6-1). The Brazilian won a notable 82% of points on her first serve, in addition to 58% of return points.

Things in the second set remained in favor of the 28-year-old South American, who secured a couple of consecutive breaks and took a 3-0 lead. At that moment, Tona again had a break opportunity, and this time she took it. Although she managed to narrow the deficit, it was not enough for a comeback, and Haddad Maia regained control—breaking back and closing out the victory 6-1, 6-1 to advance to the second round.

Haddad Maia will face her compatriot and Billie Jean King Cup teammate, Laura Pigossi, in her next match, guaranteeing the presence of at least one local player in the quarterfinals.

Match Statistics Haddad Maia vs. Tona