Eala steadies late, ousts Aliona Falei to reach Jingshan Open round of 16

Top seed Alex Eala overcame a tense second set and a mid-match medical timeout to defeat Belarusian qualifier Aliona Falei, 6-3, 7-5, during the WTA 125 Jingshan Open round of 32 in China, September 23.

Eala, ranked No. 58, cruised early with a 3-0 start and captured the first set 6-3. 

But after calling for treatment while leading 3-2 in the second, her rhythm faltered. Falei erased two breaks to level at 5-all, saving 8 of 14 break points overall and pressuring the favorite with deep returns.

The 20-year-old Filipino regrouped quickly, breaking again for 6-5 and serving out the match after 1 hour 51 minutes. 

Eala finished with 1 ace and 2 double faults, converting 6 of 14 break chances, while Falei tallied 1 ace but 10 double faults and converted 4 of 7 break points.

Fresh from a quarterfinal run in Sao Paulo and her maiden WTA 125 crown in Guadalajara, Eala advances to face either Japan’s Mei Yamaguchi on September 24.

The straight-sets result masked the momentum swing, but Eala’s ability to close when it mattered kept her chase for a second WTA title alive.