ON her next quest in the quarterfinal of the Sao Paulo Open, Alex Eala finds herself across the net from someone writing a story as groundbreaking as hers.
READ: Alex Eala ousts Riera, sets up Sao Paulo quarterfinal vs Indon
After back-to-back straight-set wins, the 20-year-old Filipino now faces a fellow Southeast Asian in Indonesia’s Janice Tjen — a meeting that feels as much like history as it does destiny.
Tjen, ranked No. 130 in the world, carved her own milestone by becoming the first Indonesian in 21 years to reach a WTA quarterfinal.
The Jakarta native stormed to the next round with a ruthless 6-1, 6-0 dismantling of Martika Okalova, her second straight triumph after stunning France’s seventh seed Leolia Jeanjean, 6-2, 6-3, in her opener.
Like Eala, Tjen also carried her nation’s flag onto the grand stage of the US Open, where she fought her way through three qualifying rounds, upset 25th-ranked Veronika Kudermetova in the first round, before bowing to Emma Raducanu.
Eala, world No. 61, brings her own streak of momentum — seven wins in a row — after dismissing Julia Riera and Yasmine Mansouri, 6-1, 6-3, and 6-0, 6-2, in Sao Paulo.
Just days ago, she made Philippine tennis history by lifting her maiden WTA trophy in Guadalajara, also the country’s first-ever.
Her US Open run prior, highlighted by a shock win over Clara Tauson, ended in the round of 64 against Cristina Bucsa.
Southeast Asian showdown
Now, the two from Southeast Asia — regions rarely represented this deep in tour-level play— meet for a spot in the semifinal.
In their regional meets, Eala holds bronze from the Southeast Asian Games, while Tjen also has a bronze from the Asian Games.
Their quarterfinal clash is expected on Friday, early morning Manila time, with the order of play yet to be announced.
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