ALEX Eala and partner Nadiia Kichenok cruised into the quarterfinals of the Guangzhou Open women’s doubles on Thursday afternoon with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Emily Appleton and Qianhui Tang.
The victory marks a solid rebound for the Filipino tennis star after an early exit in the singles round of 32 of the WTA 250 event in China.
READ: Slumping Alex Eala suffers another first-round exit in Guangzhou
Eala and the Ukrainian wasted no time asserting control, taking the first set before pulling away at 3-2 in the next, winning three straight games to close out the match.
The 20-year-old world No. 53 returned to the win column in her first doubles tournament since Wimbledon in July, where she bowed out in the round of 64.
Eala, who captured her maiden WTA title last month in the Guadalajara 125 singles, now looks to add a doubles crown to her resume.
Up next, Eala and Kichenok face Russia’s Polina Kudermetova and Kamilla Rakhimova in the quarterfinals.
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