For the past three Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournaments, Alex Eala would face those below the top 100 of the world rankings.
However, entering the Suzhou Open quarterfinals, the 20-year-old Eala might have to go hard against No. 70 Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland when they clash at the Sungent International Tennis Center in Suzhou, China on Friday.
The Rafael Nadal Academy graduate will be entering the match fully rested after surviving back-to-back three-set matches.
Eala first defeated No. 124 Katarzyna Kawa of Poland, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, in the Round of 32 last Tuesday.
Then, she took down Greet Minnen of Belgium 7-6, 6-7, 7-5, in the Round of 16 last Wednesday after more than three hours of play.
Meanwhile, the 32-year-old Golubic has been sweeping her opponents on her way to the quarterfinal.
The former world No. 35 breezed past fellow Swiss netter Rebeka Marasova, 6-2, 6-3, in the Round of 32 before crushing Linda Fruhvirtova of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 6-0, in the Last 16.
A win here will set Eala up against second seed and world No. 4 Tatjana Maria of Germany in the semifinal.
Eala is eyeing her second WTA title after winning the Guadalajara 125 Open in Mexico last September.
The Suzhou Open is part of Eala’s preparation for the Wuhan Open, a WTA 1000 tournament, on Monday.
Unlike in previous WTA 1000 tilts, Eala will be competing in the qualifying rounds first as only the top 56 netters in the world were granted main draw slots.