Philippine tennis sensation Alex Eala narrowly survived a tricky first set problem from Japan’s Himeno Sakatsume with a 6-4, 6-0 victory within the second spherical of the Philippine Girls’s Open held on the Rizal Memorial Tennis Heart on Wednesday evening.
Like her first-round opponent Alina Charaeva, this match was additionally a revenge match for Ila, who misplaced to a Japanese opponent 6-0, 6-3 on the 2023 WTA250 Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships.
Wednesday’s first set was an in depth one, with Sakatsume and Ira buying and selling holds via the primary 4 video games earlier than exchanging breaks within the fifth and sixth video games.
Neither participant was in a position to take the lead at 3-3 as each gamers relied on stable serve and first-strike tennis to outlive the high-pressure match. This sample continued within the seventh and eighth, with either side retaining their cool to maintain the set deadlocked at 4-4.
Nevertheless, Ila lastly created some separation within the ninth recreation, securing a decisive second break behind the load and depth of his forehand and backhand. Driving that momentum, he closed his service recreation and took a one-set lead.
As within the first match, Ila took one other medical timeout earlier than the beginning of the second set, nevertheless it did not do a lot to disrupt his rhythm.
Carrying the momentum from the second half of the primary set, the place she received the final three video games, she constructed momentum with sharp returns and early ball management, incomes two breaks within the first three video games and shortly asserting momentum within the second set.
Ila remained in full management within the second half of the set, including extra breaks earlier than settling right into a routine service maintain. The stress did not let up and he or she closed out the second set sturdy, scoring a bagel for the win.
Though Sakatsume had the benefit at 3-1 with an ace, it was Aira who managed the play with an ace.
The Filipino’s effectivity was excellent, changing winners on 67% of her first serve factors and 65% of her second serve factors, highlighting her general command of the match.
Ila grew to become the highest-ranked participant remaining within the event as she defeated prime seed Tatiana Maria within the second spherical. She’s going to face world No. 84 Camila Osorio of Colombia in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
