Former US Open junior champion Camila Osorio will be a difficult opponent to deal with.
World no. 49 Filipina sensation Alexandra Eala said this as she braces for an early Thursday evening confrontation with the world no. 85 Osorio in the quarterfinals of the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open at the newly renovated Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
“The next match is definitely going to be difficult. She’s a very experienced and good player, and skilled,” said the second seeded Eala, after she put away the world no. 140th-ranked Himeno Sakatsume 6-4, 6-0 in the second round on Wednesday night.
Earlier, Osorio overcame her disappointments in the second set to eke out a three-set, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 thriller over Japanese Mai Hontama.
The fifth-seeded Osorio, who won the girls’ singles crown of the 2019 US Open, came out on top, when they first fought last November at the Billie Jean Cup, with the 26-year old Hontama, going down to 6-4, 6-4 win by the Colombian.
“I would like to play with her, to be honest. She’s a really great competitor,” said Osorio on Eala.
Osorio took 131 minutes to get past Hontama, and pull off her second straight win against her, and now looks forward to a clash with Eala.
Also reaching the quarterfinals with Osorio was Thai bet Lanlana Tararudee, who hurdled Uzbek netter Polina Kudermetova, 6-4, 6-4, and fourth seed Croatian Donna Vekic, after she downed Maria Tkacheva, 6-1, 6-2.
“She (Eala) is doing well in the Tour right now. I mean she has a very strong personality. She’s very passionate, and fights for the very last point, which is what I like about her game,” added Osorio.
