Alex Eala will square off against a familiar foe in Janice Tjen in the Sao Paulo Open. But it will be the first time they will meet in the WTA level.
Filipino tennis star Alex Eala aims to sustain her strong run at the Sao Paulo Open as she takes on Indonesia’s Janice Tjen in the quarterfinals Saturday, Sept. 13.
Match unfurls at 12 midnight (Philippine time).
The 20-year-old Eala is coming off a convincing 6-1, 6-4 victory over Argentina’s Julia Riera.
After breezing through the first set, Eala briefly wobbled in the second, falling behind 1-2. But the world No. 61 quickly regained her composure, winning three straight games to seize control.
Riera saved four match points, but Eala closed out the duel after just 77 minutes on the court.
Eala is on a seven-game run since her breakthrough triumph at the Guadalajara Open 125 in Mexico.
Awaiting her is another Southeast Asian talent in Janice Tjen, who advanced to the quarterfinals after outlasting Martina Oklava, 6-1, 6-0.
While this will be their first meeting at the professional level, Eala and Tjen are no strangers to each other, having crossed paths three times in the juniors between 2018 and 2019, with Eala holding a 2-1 edge.
(With reports from Jan Ballesteros)
—
[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.]