Eala outlasts Greet Minnen to reach Suzhou Open quarterfinals

Alex Eala endured a marathon three-set duel to advance to the quarterfinals of the WTA 12 Suzhou Open, outlasting Belgium’s Greet Minnen, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 7-5, in China, Oct. 1.

Seeded fourth in the tournament, Eala finally broke through in the deciding set after nearly three and a half hours of back-and-forth rallies.

Minnen refused to yield, forcing five ties in the third frame before the 20-year-old Filipino strung together the final two games to seal the win.

It was the second straight grind for Eala in Suzhou, having gone the distance in her opening-round victory over Katarzyna Kawa of Poland on Tuesday.

The match was delayed by rain but ended with the Filipino prevailing in the third set.

Eala now moves on to face Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland in the quarterfinals.

The appearance marks her fourth consecutive quarterfinal showing in a WTA 125 tournament, adding to her runs in Guadalajara, the SP Open, and the Jingshan Tennis Open.

Overall, it is her sixth quarterfinal berth of the year, which also includes deeper campaigns at the Miami Open and Eastbourne Open.