HOPING to reach her second WTA 1000 quarterfinal of the year, Alex Eala must get past a familiar type of opponent in world No. 14 Belinda Bencic at the National Bank Open.
After dispatching Americans Caty McNally and Alycia Parks in back-to-back extended matches, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, and 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, respectively, Eala heads into the round of 16 against a first-time foe in the Swiss veteran.
READ: All are welcome to join Filipinos in all-out support of Eala
Bencic, for her part, also beat two U.S. players to reach the last 16, edging Taylor Townsend, 6(5)-7, 7-6(4), 6-4, then cruising past Sloane Stephens, 6-3, 6-1.
Both Eala and Bencic are seeded players at the Canadian Open, with the Swiss No. 12 seed and the Filipina No. 25 seed earning first-round byes.
But long before Bencic became a seasoned Top 20 player, she was a giant-slayer much like Eala has been.
The now-29 year old, who reached a career-high No. 4, won it all in Toronto in 2015, one of her 10 career titles, by taking down four Top 10 players en route, including then-top player Serena Williams.
In 2025, after returning from maternity leave, she climbed from No. 421 all the way to No. 11 in her first full season back on tour.
The 21-year-old Filipina, meanwhile, enters Toronto fresh off capturing her maiden WTA title in Washington, DC, a breakthrough run that also propelled her to a career-best ranking.
The National Bank Open marks Eala's second stop in her North American hard-court swing, as she builds toward the 2026 US Open.
Eala's last quarterfinal at a WTA 1000 was in Dubai last February.
She and Bencic meet on Monday, not before 8:10 a.m. Manila time.
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