Alex Eala needed to withstand a tough challenge from Himeno Sakatsume, but the hometown darling is the one moving on to the Philippine Women’s Open quarterfinals.
Alex Eala endured an early challenge from world no. 140 Himeno Sakatsume before barging into the quarterfinals of the Philippine Women’s Open with a 6-4, 6-0 win Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
Eala, now the highest-seeded player in the tournament following Tatjana Maria’s loss earlier in the day, won a nip-and-tuck first set that lasted 52 minutes.
The current WTA world no. 49 went back-and-forth with Sakatsume, but Eala saved four break points to win a crucial game, forcing a 4-4 count.
Then, Eala broke her opponent’s serve in the subsequent game to regain the lead, 5-4.
Serving for the set, Eala denied another two break points from Sakatsume to seal the opener.
The close calls seemed to rejuvenate Eala, as the Filipina swept the second set and ended up winning nine straight games to book her spot in the next round.
Eala will now face no. 5 seed and world no. 84 Camila Osorio in the quarterfinals. Osorio earlier defeated Mai Hontama in three sets, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
—
Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.