Philippines' Alexandra Eala reacts as she plays against Czech Republic's Barbora Krejcikova during their women's singles first round tennis match on the second day of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 1, 2025. Glyn Kirk, AFP/File
MANILA (UPDATED) -- Filipina tennis star Alex Eala is headed to the round-of-16 of the 2025 Jingshan Tennis Open after beating Belarusian Aliona Falei, 6-3, 7-5, Tuesday afternoon in Jingshan, China.
Eala is the top seed of the WTA125 tournament.
She quickly raced to a 3-0 lead in the opening set, with Falei only managing to hold serve after three deuces in the fourth game. Eala stayed in control through her groundstrokes and well-timed attacks to quickly take the opener.
However, Eeala was made to work by world No. 323 Falei in the second frame, who broke back to level at 2-2 and again at 4.4 She scored a love game to again tie the count at 5-5.
But the Filipina responded well, winning the next two games handily to clinch the victory after an hour and 51 minutes.
Eala will play Japan's Mei Yamaguchi, who is ranked No. 268 by the WTA, in the round-of-16. Yamaguchi defeated Hong Kong's Cody Wong Hong Yi in her own first round match.
Prior to this tournament, Eala ruled the 2025 Guadalajara 125 Open in early September for her first-ever WTA125 championship, and made it to the quarterfinals of the São Paulo Open.
Her recent results have propelled her to No. 58 in the WTA rankings.
The Filipina returned home for a brief visit before flying to China for the Jingshan Tennis Open. -- with a report from Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News
READ: Alex Eala back in PH, to train for Jingshan tilt after ranking boost