Alex Eala advances to Jingshan Open quarterfinals
Alex Eala defeated Japan’s Mei Yamaguchi 6-0, 6-3 on Thursday at the Jingshan Tennis Open in China, advancing to the quarterfinals.
It took the 20-year-old Filipino only 72 minutes to rout the World No. 268, blanking Yamaguchi in the opening set, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The 20-year-old Filipino sustained her dominance for a 2-0 start in the second set before Yamaguchi finally won a game.
The World No. 58 then surged ahead, 4-1, but the 26-year-old Japanese fought back with two straight games to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Eala, seeded first in the tournament, was quick to recover but had to overcome a 15-30 deficit in the ninth game to complete the victory.
Eala has yet to drop a set in the WTA 125 tournament, following a 6-3, 7-5 win over Belarus’ Aliona Falei in the opening round.
This marks her third straight quarterfinal appearance after reaching the last eight in the Sao Paulo Open, where she lost to Indonesia’s Janice Tjen.
Eala faces Lu Jiajing of China in the quarterfinal on Friday.
The Rafa Nadal Academy graduate is gunning for her second WTA crown after ruling the Guadalajara Open 125 against Panna Udvardy, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, last September 7.
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