Alex Eala booked a spot in the quarterfinals of the Hong Kong Tennis Open after outlasting Czech teenager Tereza Valentova, 6-4, 7-6 (7), in a thrilling Round of 16 clash Thursday night.

The 21-year-old Filipina, ranked No. 17 in the WTA rankings as of Friday, Nov. 6, overcame a determined challenge from the 19-year-old Valentova, who sits at No. 85, to secure the straight-sets victory.

The win also marked a breakthrough for Eala against the young Czech, having lost their first two meetings in straight sets. She claimed her first set against Valentova in their third encounter before completing the comeback victory.

Eala made an early statement, breaking Valentova's serve to take a 2-0 lead in the opening set. Although the Czech fought back to level the score at 4-4, the Filipina held her nerve to close out the set, 6-4.

The second set proved even more challenging, with both players trading breaks and service holds in a tightly contested battle. Valentova appeared poised to force a deciding set after taking a 5-3 lead, but Eala fought back, winning three consecutive games to move ahead, 6-5.

Valentova held serve to force a tiebreak, where Eala eventually prevailed in a tense finish to seal the match.

“I had to fight. It was really, really tough. I think Tereza played incredibly and we were able to bring the match to a really high level. And I think that was reflected in the scores,” Eala said after the match.

With the victory, Eala advances to the quarterfinals, keeping her campaign alive in Hong Kong while adding another milestone to her growing season.