MANILA – Filipina tennis star Alexandra Eala booked her place in the quarterfinals of the 1st Jingshan Open Tennis 2025 WTA 125 after overpowering Japan’s Mei Yamaguchi, 6-0, 6-3, in the round of 16 on Thursday in Hubei, China.
Eala was in full control from start to finish, firing an ace and converting six of her 12 break point opportunities to close out the match in just under an hour.
The 20-year-old Eala also displayed steadier serving despite committing three double faults, winning 67 percent of her first-serve points and 64 percent on her second serve.
Eala, a former scholar of Rafael Nadal Academy, also excelled in her return game, winning 35 receiving points and breaking Yamaguchi eight times throughout the contest.
Yamaguchi, meanwhile, struggled to find her rhythm despite landing 69 percent of her first serves. She only managed to win 47 percent of those points and 40 percent on her second serve, conceding 12 games overall.
With the win, Eala moved on to the quarterfinals round against Liu Jiajing, who defeated Riya Bhatia in their round of 16 encounter, 6-4, 6-0.
The straight-sets victory improved Eala’s run at the tournament, where she has now won 12 games compared to her opponent’s three in this round.
Eala recently moved up to 56th place in the WTA live rankings following her 6-3, 7-5 victory against Aliona Falei of Belarus in the opening round last Tuesday./PN
