ALEX Eala outlasted Belgium’s Greet Minnen in a three-hour battle, pulling off a 7-6(5), 6(3)-7, 7-5, on Wednesday night to secure a quarterfinal berth in the WTA 125 Suzhou in China.
The world No. 58 fought off her closest opponent so far in terms of ranking in Minnen, now world No. 106 after once reaching a career-high of No. 59, in a game of wildly changing fortunes that lasted three hours and 18 minutes.
Eala on track for second title
The Filipina, the tournament's fourth seed, will next face world No. 70 Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland in the quarterfinals, with the specific time still to be announced.
Locked at 5-all in the decider, Eala dug deep to break Minnen’s serve to finally tilt the balance in her favor and punch a ticket to her fourth straight quarterfinal appearance after Guadalajara, São Paulo, and Jingshan.
That winner-takes-all frame came only after Minnen forced the issue in the second set, where the Belgian held firm and outlasted Eala in the tiebreak, 7-6 (3).
Eala looked in full control early, racing to a 3-0 lead in just 10 minutes. But Minnen steadied, matching her shot for shot until they reached six games apiece. Eala, however, found her rhythm in the tiebreaker.
She is now three wins away rom a second WTA title after winning at Guadalajara 125 last September.
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