PHILIPPINE tennis pride Alexandra Eala seized the proper moment to outpoint Chinese rival Jia Jing Lu for a 6-4, 6-1 triumph in the quarterfinals of the women’s singles event on Friday (Manila time) in the WTA 125 Jingshan Tennis Open.
Lu’s errors in the fourth game of the last set proved to be her undoing, as Eala went on to take the last three game points and arrange a semifinal clash with third-seed Lulu Sun.
The 35-year-old Lu was nearing match point with her service winner, 40-15, with Eala ahead at 2-1 in the second set.
But when Eala went deep with her volley returns and stuck to the center back of the court with her baseline game, that was when Lu found herself in trouble.
Lu began struggling with her long passing shots and conceded the next four points.
This allowed Eala to gain momentum with a 3-1 lead.
From there, Eala never looked back and broke Lu’s serves twice en route to a 6-1 finish in the final set.
The 35-year-old Sun, a Chinese-Croatian netter, will now be be facing Eala for second time, since their confrontation at the Wimbledon netfest last year.
The world no. 146 Sun advanced to the semis following her 6-2, 6-4 beating of Elena Pridankina,
Sun looks forward to a second victory over Eala, after ousting her in the qualifying round of the last Wimbledon netfest.
Meanwhile, second seed Talia Gibson also reached the semis after turning back En Sho Liang, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0.
Ma Ye Xin clashes with Gibson in the semis following a 7-5,6-2 stopping of Japanese bet Rina Saigo.
