Last Pinay standing: Eala displays deadly form, marches to quarterfinals

Alex Eala continues to impress as she emerged as the last home bet standing following a 6-4, 6-0 win over Himeno Sakatsume of Japan in the Round of 16 singles event of the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open last Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

It was a sweet victory for the 20-year-old Eala as she avenged her 0-6, 3-6 loss to the world No. 140 event back in the 2023 Japan Open in Osaka en route to punching a ticket to the quarterfinals.

The Rafael Nadal Academy graduate will face Camila Osorio of Colombia in the quarterfinal tonight of this prestigious event organized by the Philippines Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philippine Lawn Tennis Association.

In front of a massive crowd at Center Court, Eala said she had some scary moment but made some key adjustments that led to her victory.

“I think there were definitely some points she could have won but I was able to steal a couple,” Eala said.

“I hope they’re just as motivated to watch tennis as I am to play tennis.”

Tied at 4-4 in the first set, Eala held her serve before breaking Sakatsune’s serve for a 1-0 lead. From there, Eala was relentless as she blanked her Japanese foe in the second set for the victory.

Earlier, the singles play was rocked by the surprise exit of German No. 1 seed Tatjana Maria, who was upset by unheralded Russian Tatiana Prozorova, who fashioned a gripping straight-set 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 win.

Avoiding the upset axe was Osorio, who shook off a shaky second set to eventually take out Japanese Mai Hontama 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to gain a quarterfinal duel with the red-hot Filipina.

On the other hand, popular Croatian Donna Vekic, the No. 4 seed, breezed past Maria Tkacheva of Russia 6-1, 6-2 to also advance to the quarters.

Also advancing to the next round was Belgian Sofia Costoulas, who dumped Chinese Ma Ye-xin 6-4, 6-2, and Thai Lanlana Tararudee, who vanquished Uzbek Polina Kudermetova 6-4, 6-4.

Meanwhile, Eala expressed gratitude for the all-out support that the local crowd has been given her as the tournament enters its crucial stretch.

The 20-year-old prodigy, who grew up playing at the Valle Verde Country Club before moving to Spain, said she would try to give it back by working hard, making sure her countrymen have something proud to cheer on.

“I think I do my best because I know that, especially in international stages, I represent quite a big demographic and it’s such an honor to have this support and this community rally behind me,” Eala said.