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 — Filipina tennis star Alex Eala fought through rain delays and a tough opponent to book her place in the Round of 16 of the Suzhou Open.
The 20-year-old Eala defeated Polish player Katarzyna Kawa, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, in a gutsy match that tested her patience and composure on Tuesday.
The clash was suspended due to rain interruptions, forcing both players to stop at 2-all in the first set.
Fortunately for the Eala, this did not deter her as when play resumed, the Quezon City native went on to take the opening set 6-3 against Kawa who is ranked World No. 124 with a 29-22 win-loss record this season.
In the second set, the Polish opponent struck back to force a decider after winning the frame, 6-3.
Fortunately for Eala, while Kawa levelled the set at 3-apiece, she still managed to seal the victory, 7-5.
With the win, Eala advances to face Greet Minnen of Belgium in the next round.
Minnen is currently ranked World No. 106 and owns a solid 30-16 win-loss record for 2025. She previously reached a career-high ranking of World No. 59 in October 2023.
Eala entered the Suzhou Open as the No. 4 seed, with the tournament’s top seed being World No. 37 Iva Jovic, followed by World No. 44 Tatjana Maria as the second seed, and World No. 57 Suzan Lamens as the third seed.