Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala continued her strong form on the World Tennis Association (WTA) Tour, powering through to the Round of 16 at the Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal with a straight-sets win over Dutch challenger Anouk Koevermans.
Eala, currently ranked World No. 72, dispatched the No. 182, Koevermans with a 6-3, 6-4 sweep on Tuesday at the Centro Desportivo Nacional do Jamor.
The 19-year-old rising star took the first set with confidence, riding the momentum of her historic semifinal finish at the recent Miami Open, where she stunned multiple Grand Slam champions, including four-time French Open winner Iga Swiatek.
But just as she was beginning to find her rhythm on clay, the match was halted by rain, first briefly at 3-2 in the second set, and then suspended overnight with Eala trailing 2-4.
Undeterred, she returned the following day, firing on all cylinders, rattling off four consecutive games to seal the win and book her spot in the Round of 16.
Off the singles court, Eala is also scheduled to compete in the doubles tournament alongside World No. 60, American Katie Volynets, which was her former opponent at the Miami Open.
Their first match is set for Wednesday night, April 16, at 6:30 p.m. (Manila time)
Meanwhile, Eala made history as she became the first Filipino tennis player to advance to the break into the WTA 1000 tournament.
