TAKING control of the capital, Alex Eala toppled defending champion Leylah Fernandez, 6-2, 7-6(1), to continue her charge into the quarterfinals of the Mubadala DC Open early Thursday, Manila time, at Washington, USA.
The victory came after the Filipina stunned Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the Round of 32 in three sets.
The world No. 28 now awaits the winner between Elina Svitolina and Polina Kudermetova in the quarterfinals.
READ: Eighty percent of ticket inquiries for Eala, says DC Open chair
In the one-hour, 53-minute match, Eala seized control early to take the opening set before finding herself trailing 1-5 in the second as the Canadian and former US Open finalist found her rhythm.
But Eala regained her momentum at the perfect time, reeling off six straight games to complete the comeback, level the set at 5-5, then 6-6, and officially closed the deal via tiebreak.
The win set their personal record to 1-1 as Eala avenged her loss to Fernandez in Stuttgart's indoor clay courts last April.
The WTA 500 is Eala's first tournament in her North American hard-court swing.
She is also still in search of her first WTA Tour-level title after only winning two WTA125 titles in Guadalajara and Birmingham.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
