Alexandra Eala booked her place in the quarter-finals of the Prudential Hong Kong Open after defeating Tereza Valentova 6-4, 7-6(9-7) in a hard-fought second-round match on Thursday.
The second-seeded Filipina needed one hour and 54 minutes to overcome the Czech teenager, ending a two-match losing streak against her. Valentova had won their previous encounters in Osaka last year and Doha earlier this season, both in straight sets.
Eala made a strong start, breaking Valentova's serve early to take a 3-0 lead in the opening set. However, the Czech fought her way back to level the score at 4-4. Eala then showed her composure under pressure, saving three break points in the ninth game before breaking Valentova's serve to take the set 6-4.
The second set proved even more challenging as Valentova moved ahead 4-2. Eala responded by fighting back to level the score at 5-5, forcing a tie-break to decide the match.
The Filipina initially looked set for a comfortable finish after racing to a 5-0 lead in the tie-break. However, Valentova refused to give up, saving three match points and bringing the score level at 7-7. Eala eventually converted her fourth match point to seal the victory and advance to the last eight.
The win also marked an important milestone for Eala, as it was her first career tour-level victory against a Czech opponent after losing her previous 10 matches against players from the country.
The 21-year-old has now recorded 38 wins on the WTA Tour this season, including 27 on hard courts. She has also reached her seventh tour-level quarter-final of the year, marking her second consecutive appearance in the last eight after reaching the same stage in Tokyo last week.
Eala will next face Croatia's Antonia Ruzic in the quarter-finals on Friday. It will be their first meeting on the WTA Tour, with a place in the semi-finals at stake.
