Alex Eala takes down Japan's Sakatsume, advances to PWO q'finals

MANILA, January 29 ------ Filipina tennis star Alex Eala booked her place in the quarterfinals of the WTA 125 Philippine Women's Open with a masterful display against Japan's Himeno Sakatsume.

In front of a packed Center Court at the Rizal Memorial Center, Eala shrugged off a roller-coaster start to secure a 6-4, 6-0 triumph. The 20-year-old Eala gained a measure of revenge against her Japanese foe, who had beaten her when they played in 2023 in Osaka. "I'm really happy with the win. I think even with the score, it was close throughout the whole match," the Filipina said in front of the energetic crowd on center court.

Sakatsume won the first game of the opening set, before Eala fired back after holding her serve in the second game. It was a seesaw battle between the two until Eala forced a 4-4 deadlock, after saving four break points in the eighth game. The Filipina then broke her Japanese foe’s serve to gain the lead and eventually close out the opening set.

In the second set, the momentum shifted to Eala's favor, as she capitalized on Sakatsume's errors. It was a triumph three years in the making for Eala, as Sakatsume had beaten her 6-3, 6-0 in the opening round of WTA 250 Kinoshita Group Japan Open in 2023. The WTA No. 49 player admitted getting the win was not as easy as it looked. "I really was in a lot of tough positions this match, especially in the first set. But I'm really happy with how I fought through it. I think there were definitely some points na parang sa kanya na, but I was able to steal a couple and that's what pushed me through," Eala said.

As the Filipino crowd continued to cheer her on after the win, Eala once again expressed her gratitude to the full capacity center court. "I'm so motivated. I hope they're just as motivated as me to watch tennis as I am to play tennis," Eala said. "I'm so happy with how many people have turned out throughout the day. Kahit umuulan, kahit mainit, nandito kayo. Maraming salamat po," she added.

Eala will next play Camila Osorio of Colombia in the quarterfinals set today. Osorio booked her spot in the next round after beating Japan's Mai Hontama, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 earlier in the day.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com