A familiar foe will be at the side of the court when Alex Eala marches to the Round of 16 of the Birmingham Open in England on Thursday.

Match time has yet to be announced but Eala is looking good, eager to beat Russia Alina Charaeva to sustain her strong start in this prestigious Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 event that serves as a warmup for the Wimbledon Championship next month.

The 21-year-old Eala sizzled early, carving out a masterful 6-0, 6-2 win over world No. 143 Priscilla Hon of Australia in the Round of 32 last Tuesday.

Eala said she is enjoying her time in her first grass-court tournament of the year and thanked the Filipinos who came to watch her play.

“I think I like to stay low. It’s true that I haven’t had much time on grass as compared to other surfaces, but I really enjoy my time and the times that I’ve been able to compete on the surface,” Eala said.

“I didn’t expect there to be so many Filipinos here. I’m very happy, especially since there are significantly more than last year. Thank you very much.”

Eala is no stranger to world No. 130 Charaeva.