Filipino tennis player Alex Eala in the WTA Veneto Open. -VENETO OPEN/RAFA NADAL ACADEMY
MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala entered the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Veneto Open quarterfinal after dominating home bet Georgia Pedone, 6-3, 6-3, on Thursday (Manila time) in Gaiba, Italy.
The 19-year-old Filipino netter is making her first quarterfinal appearance in the WTA Tour, where she suffered early exits in her previous outings.
It took an hour and 23 minutes for Eala to beat Pedone to move to the farthest she had reached in the WTA.
READ: Alex Eala vows to come back stronger after Miami Open exit
Eala is facing former World No. 5 Sara Errani early Saturday morning (Manila time) as she hopes to continue her dream run.
“First WTA Quarterfinal! Fully focused for the next round!” Eala wrote.
The World No. 169 Eala opened her campaign in Italy with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Carole Monnet of France.
The Rafael Nadal Academy product faces a 37-year-old veteran in World No.91 Errani, whom she upset in the qualifiers of the Miami Open with a 6-3, 6-1 win last March 18.