RIDING a wave of momentum, Alex Eala is set for a grudge match with French Open tormentor and good friend Iva Jovic in the round-of-16 of the WTA500 Queen’s Club Championships in London.
The Filipina world No. 33 arranged a rematch with the American world No. 19 and tournament sixth seed after overpowering Shuai Zhang, 6-3, 6-2, in the opening round, extending her unbeaten run on grass to six matches.
READ Eala sweeps Zhang in breezy Queen's Club tournament opener
Less than 48 hours earlier, Eala captured the second WTA125 title of her career - and at the Lexus Birmingham Open, giving the Filipina a blistering start to her grasscourt campaign after an underwhelming run on clay.
Now brimming with confidence, Eala hopes to ride that momentum deeper into the short grass season as she builds toward the Wimbledon Championships by July.
Meanwhile, Jovic opened her Queen’s Club bid with a6-3, 6-4 victory over Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic, securing her first grass-court win after a third-round exit at the clay-court Grand Slam in Paris.
Eala will also be aiming to level her head-to-head record against Jovic, this time on a surface where the she has looked increasingly comfortable than on clay.
The two are scheduled to face off on Wednesday not before 6:30 p.m.
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