Alexandra Eala became the first player from the Philippines to win a title on the women’s WTA Tour. (EPA Images pic)TOKYO: Philippines star Alexandra Eala said "the ball doesn't know what rank you are" after beating world number 411 Mika Stojsavljevic 6-1, 6-2 in her opener in Tokyo on Monday.
World number 19 Eala arrived at the Pan Pacific Open on the back of a poor run of form that saw her win just one match at her last three tournaments.
That included a shock first-round defeat to 217th-ranked Chinese qualifier Shi Han at the Wuhan Open this month.
Eala avoided a similar banana skin against British 17-year-old Stojsavljevic, brushing past her opponent in 75 minutes.
