Alex Eala continues her showcasing her brilliance in the hardcourt after beating Julia Riera in the Round of 16 of SP Open in the morning of September 11.
A Replica of Masterful Display in Round of 16
Just like against her Round of 32 match versus Yasmine Mansouri, the tennis legend from the Philippines has once again re-created her masterful excellence at the hardcourt.
The 20-year-old Filipina came out firing, immediately breaking Riera’s serve and surging to a 4-0 advantage behind precise returns and sharp groundstrokes. Riera momentarily steadied to get on the board at 1-4, but Eala quickly regrouped and closed out the set in just 33 minutes, leaving the Argentine struggling to keep pace.
FINAL SCORE OF SET 1: 6-1
The second set proved more competitive. Riera, ranked world No. 188, grabbed her first lead at 2-1 and pressured Eala with two break points in the opening games. But Eala responded with three straight games to wrest control at 4-2. The Argentine battled hard, closing the gap to 4-5 and even saving two match points with an ace and a volley, but Eala held her nerve.
With her aggressive baseline play intact, the world No. 61 sealed the set and wrapped up the match in one hour and 17 minutes.
FINAL SCORE OF SET 2: 6-4
In her postgame interview, Eala once again thanked the presence of her Filipino fans that has transformed her Brazil stint into a ‘homecourt advantage’.
“Yes, I said the other day that Brazilians are super hospitable and that’s one thing I think that we have in common with the Philippines. I’m feeling at home and I love the atmosphere tonight.”
The win gives Alex an edge in her head-to-head matchup against Riera, making 2-1.
Up Next: Quarterfinals Versus No. 130 Janice Tjen of Indonesia
In the quarterfinals, it will be a match of Southeast Asia’s finest as the 23 year old Indonesian history maker Janince Tjen is set to play her first match against Eala.
Janice has been remarkable this season with a 59-11 singles record.
In São Paulo, she upset seventh seed Leolia Jeanjean and then cruised past Martina Okalova, 6-1, 6-0, to become the first Indonesian woman to reach a WTA quarterfinal since 2004.
Tjen also made history at the US Open last month, upsetting 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova in three sets to become the first Indonesian woman to win a Grand Slam match since 2003, before falling in the second round to former champion Emma Raducanu.
Eala’s quarterfinals match against Tjen is set tomorrow morning September 12, Friday.
