MANILA, Philippines — Filipino tennis sensation Alex Eala faces Argentine Julia Riera at the WTA 250 São Paulo Open second round in Brazil Thursday in Manila.
A heavy favorite just like in her opening match, world no. 61 Eala takes on no. 188 Riera in their round of 16 encounter at around 4:30 a.m.
Seeded third in this Brazil tiff, Eala dominated world no. 380 Yasmine Mansouri of France, 6-0, 6-2, to kickstart her campaign on Wednesday.
The victory put Eala on a six-match winning streak with the first five of that run coming from her Guadalajara 125 Open conquest that culminated last Sunday.
Eala defeated Hungarian Panna Udvardy, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, in the final to become the first WTA champ.
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Meanwhile, Riera defeated no. 429 Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia in their opening match, 6-3, 7-6(1), on Tuesday.
As for the 20-year-old Eala, she needs to stay aggressive and not let her guard down with players like 23-year-old Riera looking for an upset.
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If Eala defeats Riera, she faces either Indonesian Janice Tjen or Slovak Martina Okalova in the quarterfinals.
Eala is aiming for her first 250-tier tournament championship after winning her first-ever in 125 Guadalajara.
The first WTA tournament in Brazil in 25 years, São Paulo offers $36,300 or P2 million along with 280 ranking points for the champion.
Eala could leap places anew and top her career-best 56th rank if she wins the tournament.
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