By Kristel Satumbaga-Villar
At A Glance
- Alex Eala is expected to build on her opening-round victory when she clashes with Mei Yamaguchi in the Round of 16 of the Jingshan Tennis Open in China on Thursday, Sept. 25.
Alex Eala is the only Top 100 WTA player in the Jingshan Tennis Open. (File Photo/AP)
Alex Eala is expected to build on her opening-round victory when she clashes with Mei Yamaguchi in the Round of 16 of the Jingshan Tennis Open in China on Thursday, Sept. 25.
The top-seeded Eala is coming off a 6-3, 7-5 triumph over Belarusian Aliona Falei the other day to kick off her campaign in this WTA125 tournament.
The only Top 100 WTA player in the event with a No. 58 ranking, Eala is favored against her 26-year-old Japanese rival as the Filipina boasts of having won her maiden WTA title at the Guadalajara Open in Mexico early this year.
Yamaguchi, meanwhile, advanced to the next round after routing Hong Kong’s Hong Yi Cody Wong, 6-4, 6-1. Ranked No. 268 in the WTA, the Japanese has two International Tennis Federation (ITF) singles titles under her belt.
She last competed in the WTA circuit last August, where she lost in the first qualifying round of the W100 Monterrey in Mexico.
A victory for Eala would book her a quarterfinals meeting with local bet Lu Jia-Jing and Indian Riya Bhatia.
Lu, 35, bucked an opening set stumble and turned back Ekaterina Reyngold, 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-4, while Bhatia stunned Chinese fifth seed Gao Xinyu, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
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