WITH momentum still on her side, Alex Eala looks to keep the fire burning, as she marches into the round of 16 of the WTA 250 Sao Paulo Open in Brazil.
READ: Alex Eala at her best in Sao Paulo Open demolition of Mansouri
Fresh off a 6-0, 6-2 demolition of France’s Yasmine Mansouri in her opener, the 20-year-old Filipino—who just captured her maiden WTA crown in Guadalajara three days ago—now runs into a familiar rival in Argentina’s Julia Riera, ranked 188th in the world.
The two are dead even at 1-1 in their head-to-head, with both matches coming last year.
Riera first denied Eala a French Open main draw spot in Paris with a gritty 6-4, 6(3)-7, 6-4 win in the third round of qualifiers.
Weeks later, Eala struck back in the WTA 100 Cary in North Carolina, sweeping the Argentinian, 6-3, 6-1.
Going to different directions
Since then, their careers have taken different turns.
Eala, currently No. 61, has soared with a career-best ranking at 56th, as well as main draw stints across Grand Slams, while Riera, once No. 93, has slipped after inconsistent results despite semifinal and quarterfinal runs on tour.
Riera booked her spot in this matchup by ousting veteran Vitalia Diatchenko, 6-3, 7-6(1), in the opening round.
Their clash is slated as the third match on the Quadra Central Maria Esther Bueno court on September 11, with the first play starting at 2:00 AM, Manila time.
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