By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala braces for a thrilling showdown with fellow Asian star Janice Tjen when they clash in the quarterfinals of the Sao Paulo Open in Brazil early Saturday, Sept. 13 (Philippine time).
Both players are coming off quick victories in the Round of 16, where the third-seeded Eala thumped Argentina’s Julia Riera, 6-1, 6-4, and Tjen, an Indonesian, routed Slovakia’s Martina Okalova, 6-1, 6-0.
This would be the first time that Eala and Tjen will be going against each other in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) circuit, although the two players have been making significant strides in their respective careers.
Eala currently enjoys a career-high No. 55 in the live WTA rankings following this quarters appearance, while the Indonesian has jumped to a career-high No. 123 from No. 130 early this week.
Both players also made their mark at the US Open, with Eala becoming the first Filipina in the Open Era to win a match at a Grand Slam, and Tjen has also etched her name as the first Indonesian in 22 years to achieve the same feat.
Eala hopes to ride the crest of her maiden WTA title feat at the Guadalajara 125 Open last week, but Tjen is also coming off a morale-boosting performance in her latest tournaments.
Prior to her first Grand Slam appearance at the US Open where she made it to the second round after going through the qualifiers, the 23-year-old Tjen settled for the runner-up honors at the W100 Landisville, an International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament in Pennsylvania.
She also made her title campaign in Sao Paulo after stunning French seventh seed Leolia Jeanjean, 6-2, 6-3, in the opening round.
Meanwhile, Eala also had a strong start, routing Yasmine Mansouri, 6-2, 6-3, before advancing to the Round of 16 against Riera.
A victory for Eala would earn her a semifinal date with the winner between second seed Solane Sierra and seventh pick Francesa Jones.
