Eala reaches Jingshan Open semis without dropping a set

Carrying the weight of the top seed with poise, Alex Eala has yet to drop a set in her dominant run at the WTA 125 Jingshan Tennis Open.

The world No. 58 advanced to the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over China’s Jia-Jing Lu at the Hubei Bank Tennis Center in China, Sept. 26.

Eala converted all three break points and broke Lu’s serve three times in the second set to close the quarterfinal in just one hour and 17 minutes.

A rain delay and Lu’s sharp cross-court shots put Eala in an early 2-4 hole in the first set, but the Filipina quickly regrouped, breaking serve twice and reeling off four straight games to take the opener.

Lu tried to stall Eala’s surge by earning a break point to start the second set, but that proved to be her final highlight. 

Eala tightened her service game, stepped in on approach shots and swept the next six games to finish the match.

Alex next faces a familiar opponent in the semifinals on Sept. 27, Lulu Sun, who defeated her in last year’s Wimbledon qualifying final.