Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala seeks redemption against Swiss qualifier Valentina Ryser in their Round of 16 clash at the Ilkley Open.
Alex Eala remembers the sting.
Back in March, she stood on the losing end of a three-set battle against Switzerland’s Valentina Ryser at the W75 Trnava tournament.
On Thursday (PH time), June 12, the Filipina tennis ace gets a chance to return the favor.
Eala is set to face Ryser once again, this time with a quarterfinal berth on the line at the WTA 125 Ilkley Open in the United Kingdom. Match time is at 6:00 p.m.
The tournament’s top seed arrives at the matchup fresh from a hard-earned 7-6(4), 6-3 win over Lizette Cabrera in the first round — a match where she clawed back from a 1-3 deficit in the opening set, gritted through a tight tiebreaker, and closed out strong.
[ALSO READ: Alex Eala survives Fil-Aussie Lizette Cabrera to march on in Ilkley Open]
Meanwhile, the unseeded Ryser hasn’t dropped a set in four matches so far in Ilkley — a run that includes two qualifying wins and a dominant 6-0, 6-4 victory over Japan’s Sara Saito in the main draw opener.
Currently ranked no. 230, the Swiss hitter owns a 22-11 record this season and is playing like someone ready to crash the top 200.
The winner of their first meeting on grass will face the survivor of the match between eighth-seed Rebecca Marino of Canada and hometown bet Emily Appleton.
It marks the third meeting between the two young tennisters. In their first-ever encounter, Eala cruised past Ryser in a straight-sets victory at the 2023 W25 Yecla finals — a win that gave the Filipina her first ITF crown.
(With reports from Pao Ambat)
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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]