After defeating Anouk Koevermans of the Netherlands on Tuesday in Oeiras, Portugal, Filipina tennis star Alex Eala advanced to the round of 16 in the Oeiras Ladies Open.
Eala, who is ranked first in the WTA125 competition, defeated Koevermans 6-3, 6-4.
In addition to her opponent, Eala had to deal with a weather delay that caused their match to be postponed for several hours.
When the match was interrupted, the Filipina was behind 2-4, but she recovered control when play resumed to prevent the upset.
At the Oeiras Ladies Open, top seed Alex Eala will play a Dutch opponent.
Alex Eala will be the top seed when she returns to the court on Monday at the Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal, riding high on her career-best ranking.
In the Main Draw Round of 32, the 19-year-old Eala will take against Anouk Koevermans of the Netherlands, who is ranked 182 by the WTA.
Eala, who went pro in 2020 and is currently ranked 73rd in the WTA rankings, is expected to do well as the top seed in Oeiras.
Eala defeated world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, Madison Keys, and Jelena Ostapenko—three Grand Slam champions—at the Miami Open in late March.
She bravely lost to Jessica Pegula in three sets in the semi-finals of the Miami Open, capping off an incredible run.
Eala became the first Filipino woman to get to the WTA 1000 tournament’s round of eight.
