ALEXANDRA Eala marched into the WTA 250 São Paulo Open quarterfinals after dispatching Argentina’s Julia Riera, 6-1, 6-4, in the Round of 16 on Thursday morning, Sept. 11, 2025 (PH time).
The win was the seventh straight for the world No. 61, who is riding the momentum of her breakthrough run at the Guadalajara 125 Open in Mexico, where she claimed her first WTA title.
Eala now faces a unique matchup for a semifinal berth — a Southeast Asian showdown against Indonesia’s Janice Tjen, the world No. 130. Tjen recently made headlines at the US Open by delivering her country’s first Grand Slam match win in 23 years.
In São Paulo, she continued her strong form by upsetting French No. 7 seed Leolia Jeanjean in the opening round, then sweeping Slovakia’s Martina Okalova, 6-1, 6-0, in just 53 minutes.
Riera posed a sterner challenge for Eala. The 23-year-old Argentine, who once climbed into the top 100 before injuries stalled her career, had previously defeated the Filipina in the 2024 Roland Garros qualifying. Despite her current No. 187 ranking, she entered the match as a dangerous opponent.
Eala, though, asserted herself from the start. She scored consecutive breaks and stormed to a 4-0 lead. Riera briefly broke back but failed to sustain momentum, as Eala quickly regrouped and closed the first set in just 34 minutes.
The second set saw Riera improve her rhythm and push Eala harder. After trading early breaks, the Argentine held firm to level at 2-2, finding consistency on serve while capitalizing on Eala’s errors.
However, the Filipina never lost control. A key break in the fifth game restored her edge, and with two flawless holds at love, she pulled away to 5-3.
Riera saved match points to extend the contest, but Eala stayed composed and served out the win, 6-1, 6-4, sealing her place in the quarterfinals.
With the result, the 20-year-old is guaranteed to rise further in the rankings and will achieve a career-high of world No. 55 next week.
/ RP2 SPORTS WITH TENNISUPTODATE REPORT