FILIPINA tennis ace Alex Eala continued her strong run on the international circuit after defeating Japan’s Mei Yamaguchi in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3, to secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the WTA 125 Jingshan Open in China on Thursday, September 25.

The 20-year-old, currently ranked No. 58 in the world, needed just over an hour to dispatch Yamaguchi, ranked 268th, marking her third consecutive quarterfinal appearance in recent tournaments. Eala also reached the last eight at the Guadalajara Open in Mexico and the São Paulo Open in Brazil earlier this month.

Eala wasted no time in the opening set, completing it in only 26 minutes without conceding a game. Yamaguchi, however, managed to challenge the Filipina in the second set, breaking Eala’s serve to close the gap to 4-3. But Eala quickly regained control, winning the final two games to seal the match.

With the victory, Eala is set to face China’s Jia-Jing Lu (world No. 349) in the quarterfinals. As the tournament’s top seed and the only player inside the WTA’s top 100, Eala is seen as the favorite to capture her second career WTA Challenger title.

Only three seeded players remain in contention, including Australia’s Talia Gibson (No. 2 seed) and New Zealand’s Lulu Sun (No. 3 seed), further boosting Eala’s chances of a deep run in the competition.