Alex Eala edged Oksana Selekhmeteva of Russia, 7-6, 7-6, to enter the quarterfinal round of the W100 Cary women’s singles in North Carolina in the United States on Thursday.

Eala took more than two hours to dispatch Selekhmeteva, her doubles partner in the 2021 French Open when she won her first Junior Grand Slam title.

Eala previously defeated Julia Riera of Argentina, 6-1, 6-3, last Tuesday in the Round of 32.

Eala is seeking her sixth singles title in the professional ranks.

The Rafael Nadal Academy graduate last won a title at the W100 Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain after beating Victoria Jiménez Kasintseva of Andorra, 6-4, 6-4, last July.

Eala is currently competjng against Renata Zarazua of Mexico in the quarterfinal as of press time.

Zarazua, 26, is currently at No. 105 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association rankings compared to Eala, who sits at No. 144.