Alexandra Eala stamped her class in the WTA 125 Jingshan Tennis Open, overpowering Japan’s Mei Yamaguchi, 6-0, 6-3, on Thursday (Manila time) to advance to the women’s singles quarterfinals.
The 20-year-old Filipina, seeded No. 1 in the tournament, needed just 72 minutes to dispatch Yamaguchi and book her spot in the last eight, where she will face China’s Jia Lu.
Eala imposed her dominance early with blistering left-handed groundstrokes and angled returns that kept Yamaguchi scrambling throughout the match. After cruising through the first set, she held firm in the second despite a brief resistance from the Japanese campaigner.
Serving at 3-5 in the ninth game, Yamaguchi briefly gained the upper hand at 40-15 following a baseline miscue from Eala. But the Filipina quickly regrouped, using sharp backhand shots to force deuce and earn match point. Moments later, Yamaguchi faltered on a long crosscourt return, sealing the victory for Eala on her 12th and final break of the match.
The statistics reflected Eala’s superiority, as Yamaguchi managed to win just half of her first-serve points (20 of 40) and struggled to counter the Filipina’s firepower.
Eala’s quarterfinal opponent, Lu, secured her place with a 6-4, 6-0 win over India’s Riya Bhatia. Meanwhile, No. 2 seed Talia Gibson of Australia also advanced after surviving a three-set battle against Finland’s Anastasia Kulikova, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
