IN the round of 16 of her first contest on grass, Alex Eala finds a familiar face in Russia’s Alina Charaeva as her next foe in the WTA 125 Birmingham Classic.
The Filipina, No. 37 in the world, will duel the 130th-ranked Russian, whom she defeated earlier this year at the Philippine Women’s Open in January, 6-1, 6-2, for a home-soil victory during Manila’s first hosting of the tournament.
Eala, the tournament’s top seed, is coming off a dominant 6-0, 6-2 win over Australia’s Priscilla Hon last Tuesday night in her opener in Great Britain.
READ: Eala runs through Hon to kick off Birmingham Open run in style
Set to meet Charaeva again, whom she shares a 1-1 head-to-head record with after the Russian defeated her in the ITF circuit in 2020, the Philippines' pride will once again test her progress and prowess, as Charaeva also carries strong momentum following a commanding 6-3, 6-1 opening-round win.
Charaeva, 24, also captured her maiden WTA 125 title in Midland earlier this year. Eala, meanwhile, won her own WTA 125 crown in Guadalajara in September last year.
The two are set to see action for the round of 16 on Thursday, with the specific match time still to be determined.
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