Alex Eala powers through rain delays en route to W25 Monastir quarterfinal

Filipino tennis star Alex Eala. –RAFA NADAL TWITTER

MANILA, Philippines—Alex Eala continued to roll in the ITF W25 Monastir open after advancing to the quarterfinals—rain delays notwithstanding.

Eala swept Switzerland’s Nadine Keller, 6-1, 6-4, in straight sets to advance to the next phase of the tournament at Hotel Skanes Family Monastir Court 2, Tunisia, on Friday (Manila time).

The 18-year-old had to endure rain delays to outlast the 483rd-ranked tennis athlete while moving up the ladder at No. 262 in the world rankings.

Eala started the match with a 3-0 lead which eventually ballooned to a 5-1 advantage.

Before Eala could go for the finishing kill of the first set, more rain ensued which forced the officials to pause the game.

The delay did not serve as a hindrance for the young Eala as she quickly ended the set at 6-1, riding her momentum until the second and final set.

Eala followed up from a stellar outing on Wednesday as she kicked off her W25 Monastir stint in dominant fashion.

The tennis ace only needed 55 minutes of play to defeat Anja Wildgruber of Germany, 6-1, 6-1, at the same venue.

Eala will next face China’s Jiaqi Wang, who defeated Victoria Morvayova in the other bracket.

Eala looks to recover from an early exit in the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain just a month ago.