IN THEIR third meeting in the pro ranks and first on clay, Jelena Ostapenko showed Alex Eala there’s still plenty of ground to cover.
The Latvian star bested the Filipina, 6-4, 7-5, in a battle that lasted one hour and 43 minutes to move on to the quarterfinals of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz on Wednesday night [Manila time].
READ Little rest for Alex Eala before Ostapenko rematch
The loss means Eala could not push any deeper in her first clay tournament of the season and ninth tournament overall in a busy 2026 that saw the Filipina rise to a career-high No. 29 in the world.
"She’s a good player. This year, I’ve been beating players I’ve never beat before which means I’m on the right path,” Ostapenko said after beating Eala for the first time in three matches.
Down 5-1 in the second set, the 28-year-old 2017 French Open champion saved four set points to wrest back control and prevent Eala from forcing a decider.
The result also sets their head-to-head to 2-1 in favor of Eala, who previously scored a 7-6, 7-5 win over the world No. 23 at the 2025 Miami Open followed by a 0-6, 6-2, 3-2 victory at the Eastbourne International weeks later.
Linz marked Eala's ninth tournament for the year and her first in clay. Prior to Linz, she saw action in Miami Open, Indian Wells, Dubai, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, PH women's Open, Australian Open, and Auckland.
Her best finishes so far are semifinal rounds in ASB Classic and Abu Dhabi.
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