ALEX Eala pulled off another upset on Friday night, beating Croatia's Ana Konjuh, 6-2, 6-3, to reach the semifinals of the W80 Poitiers Internationaux Feminis De La Vienne in France.
The 17-year-old Filipina ranked No. 248 by the WTA went off to a strong start 3-0 lead and never wavered to become the only qualifier to reach the Final Four.
[READ: Eala beats highest-ranked foe yet to reach France quarters]
The win came as a fitting follow-up to Eala's 6-4, 6-3 win over Russian Vitalia Diatchenko, who at No. 107 was the highest-rated player ever beaten the by
Konjuh, who is ranked lower than Diatchenko at No. 153, didn't score her first point until the fourth game, 3-1, but Eala quickly stepped on the pedal with one more break to seal the first set at 6-2.
A closer fight ensued in the second set at 3-3 before Eala held in the seventh game and broke the 24-year-old's serve in the next to wrap up a match that lasted an hour and 15 minutes at 6-3.
She now awaits her semis opponent between Ysaline Bonaventure of Belgium, and seventh-seed Oceane Dodin of France.
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