Eala hot on Ningbo quarters berth

Alex Eala seeks to sustain her strong start as she vies for a quarterfinal berth in the WTA 500 Ningbo Open in China on Wednesday.

Ranked No. 20 in the world, the 21-year-old Filipina will face world No. 13 Diana Shnaider of Russia in the Round of 16 following her 7-5, 7-4 victory over world No. 66 Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan in their Round of 32 encounter on Tuesday.

The schedule has yet to be announced at press time.

Eala advanced to the Round of 16 following a convincing 6-3, 6-1 victory over world No. 32 Diane Parry of France in just 67 minutes in the opening round late Monday.

The Filipina said she was pleased with her performance while acknowledging the challenge posed by the Frenchwoman.

“I’m very happy with my performance. I think it was a really good first round, tough first round,” Eala said.

“Diane is a great player. I think she’s had a really good year, so congrats to her for the year she’s done, and really happy to be in the second round.”

The victory also snapped Eala’s two-match skid following early exits in the Singapore Tennis Open and the Wuhan Open while settling for bronze medal in the 20th Asian Games.

A win in the Round of 16 could set up Eala for a quarterfinal meeting with world No. 12 Iva Jovic of the United States while world No. 1 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan could be waiting in the semifinals and the finals, where she will gun for her second WTA 500 crown after ruling the Washington Open last August.

If ever Eala reaches the quarterfinals, she stands to earn $33,475, or around P2.2 million.