Alex Eala eyes repeat vs Ostapenko at Eastbourne Open

FILE–The Philippines’ Alex Eala is congratulated by Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko following their Miami Open match.–Photo from the Tennis Channel

MANILA, Philippines—To move on to the next phase of the Lexus Eastbourne Open, Alex Eala will have to repeat what she’s done in the past.

Eala takes the court Wednesday night (Manila time) in a Round of 16 match against a familiar foe in Jelena Ostapenko.

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Eala and Ostapenko have quite a history with one another.

Ostapenko shoots for redemption against Eala, who knocked off the Latvian that kicked off her historic stretch at the Miami Open in March.

In their Miami matchup, Eala outlasted the 2017 French Open winner, 7-6, 7-5, to advance to the Round of 32. Her victory marked the first time a Filipino toppled a top 30 player.

READ: Alex Eala dominates to begin Eastbourne Open main draw bid

The 20-year-old Eala, the world No. 74, arranged an Eastbourne Open date with Ostapenko after a 6-0, 6-1 romp of Lucia Bronzetti of Italy on Monday night.

Ostapenko, the tournament’s third seed and world No. 20, beat Britain’s Sonay Kartal, 6-3, 7-6, in the Round of 32.