Playing on home soil, Alex Eala continued her strong run at the Philippine Women’s Open, advancing to the quarterfinals with a commanding straight-sets victory.
The 20-year-old Filipino netter delivered a dominant 6-4, 6-0 win over Japan’s Himeno Sakatsume, securing a quarterfinal showdown against Colombia’s Camila Osorio.
Eala reached the last eight following another emphatic performance earlier in the tournament, dispatching Russian Alina Charaeva 6-1, 6-2 in the round of 32 on 26 January.
Eala and Osorio will meet for the first time in their professional careers at the Center Court of the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center, with the first serve scheduled for 7 p.m.
Tough wall to break
Osorio, currently ranked No. 84 in the WTA rankings, is a 24-year-old three-time WTA 250 singles champion, having claimed all her titles in her home country of Colombia in 2021, 2024 and 2025.
The Colombian entered the Philippine Women’s Open after an early exit at the Australian Open, where she narrowly lost to world No. 33 Ann Li in a first-round thriller, 4-6, 7-6, 5-7.
Osorio booked her quarterfinal berth with a hard-fought three-set win over Mai Hontama, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, in the round of 16, followed by a 6-4, 6-3 victory against Sakura Hosogi in the round of 32.
