By el Amigo
MANILA — Alex Eala hopes to carry the momentum of a stirring comeback victory into Friday’s quarterfinal clash against Russian third seed Diana Shnaider at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
The eighth-seeded Filipina rallied from a set down to defeat Australia’s Talia Gibson, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0, in the Round of 16 on Wednesday, booking a place in the last eight of the WTA 500 tournament.
After dropping the opening set, Eala raised her level in the second, breaking Gibson early to establish control and force a decider.
The Filipina then dominated the final set, sweeping all six games to complete the turnaround. She won the last nine games of the match, underscoring her strong finish against the world No. 38 Australian.
Eala fired nine aces, broke Gibson’s serve six times and collected 86 points against her opponent’s 66.
The victory sets up a rematch with Shnaider, ranked No. 13 in the world, who defeated Eala, 7-5, 6-4, in the Round of 16 of last week’s Ningbo Open in China.
Eala will have another opportunity to overcome the Russian and reach the semifinals of the Tokyo tournament.
Their quarterfinal encounter is scheduled for Friday, October 30, at 9:30 a.m. Philippine time.
ia/xf
