FILIPINA tennis star Alex Eala battled through a rain delay and a gritty opponent to secure a hard-fought 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 win over Poland’s Katarzyna Kawa in the round of 32 at the WTA 125 Suzhou Open in China on Tuesday.

The match was halted midway through the first set with the score tied at 2-all due to heavy rain. When play resumed, Eala quickly regained momentum to take the opening frame.

The 20-year-old, seeded fourth in the tournament, was pushed to the limit after Kawa forced a deciding set, but Eala kept her composure to close out the match in nearly three hours of play.

The victory came just days after Eala’s semifinal exit at the Jingshan Open, where she was stopped by New Zealand’s Lulu Sun.

With the win, Eala moves on to the round of 16 where she will face Belgian veteran Greet Minnen, who earlier dispatched China’s Shi Han, 6-4, 6-0.

September has been a whirlwind month for Eala. She began by capturing her first-ever WTA title at the Guadalajara 125 Open, followed by a quarterfinal finish at the Sao Paolo Open, and a semifinal run in Jingshan before heading to Suzhou.