Dangerous Eala puts Shnaider on high alert

Alex Eala’s strong form has caught the attention of her next opponent as she braces for a tough battle in the Round of 16 of the Ningbo Open women’s singles event.

World No. 13 Diana Shnaider of Russia acknowledges the Filipina’s impressive season, saying that she expects a difficult match when they collide for a spot in the quarterfinals of this prestigious WTA 500-rated tournament at 1 p.m. (Manila time) on Thursday.

The 22-year-old Shnaider displayed her prowess when she defeated world No. 66 Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan, 7-5, 7-6, in the Round of 32 last Tuesday to arrange a clash with the 21-year-old Filipina, who is playing with fire in her eyes after suffering three straight defeats last month.

The left-handed Russian, who reached the semifinals of the French Open this year, said Eala is in great form and will definitely push her to her limits.

“She’s in great form, and I feel like she’s having a great season so far. It’s going to be a tough match, a tough battle,” Shnaider, whose career-best WTA ranking is No. 11, said.

“I don’t expect an easy day, but we’ll see.”

Shnaider said she had not yet focused on the matchup immediately after her opening-round victory but planned to discuss her approach with her coach.

“I’ll talk to my coach, and then we’ll see how we’re going to approach the match. For now, I understand that it’s going to be tough and that I just have to fight for every point,” she said.

Eala, meanwhile, was pleased with her performance after beating world No. 32 Diane Parry of France, 6-3, 6-1, in the opening round on Monday.

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