By MARK REY MONTEJO
Alex Eala and Ukrainian Nadiia Kichenok unleashed their full might and dispatched Russia’s Polina Kudermetova and Kamilla Rakhimova, 6-3, 7-5, to advance to the semifinal round of the Guangzhou Open in China Friday, Oct. 24.
After a spectacular first-set display, the 20-year-old Eala and Kichenok slowed down a bit, but good thing, they recovered their bearing just in time to frustrate the Russians.
It followed the pattern in the opening set where the Filipina-Ukrainian tandem broke a 3-3 deadlock by going three games in a row.
With their hard-earned triumph, the duo face Indonesian Janice Tjen and Poland’s Katarzyna Piter in the semis of the WTA 250 event.
The Filipina lefty and Tjen figured in the quarters of the Saulo Open in Brazil where the latter hammered out a 6-4, 6-1 victory before eventually falling short in the final to France’s Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah, 3-6, 4-6.
Tjen and Piter are currently were playing against American Quinn Gleason and Russian Elena Pridankina at posting time.
Other semis pairing features the clash of Hong Kong’s Eudice Chong and Taipei’s Liang En-Shuo against Dutch Isabelle Haverlag and British Maia Lumsden.
Prior to their semis entry, Eala and Kichenok breezed past China’s Tang Qianhui and Brit Emily Appleton, 6-4, 6-2.
The country’s top netter is currently on a roll after her couple of early exits, including her most recent in Guangzhou’s singles class.
