ALEX Eala displayed another dominating performance and inched closer to a second straight title after thrashing Argentina’s Julia Rierra, 6-1, 6-4, in the WTA 250 Sao Paulo Open on Thursday morning (Philippine time), September 11.

The 20-year-old Eala, seeded third in the tournament, needed just one hour and 17 minutes to dispatch Rierra and seal a spot in the quarterfinals.

Coming off a title run in the Guadalajara Open, Eala, ranked No. 61 in the world, will try to move closer to the championship when she seeks a critical win against Indonesia's Janice Tjen in the quarters.

The 23-year-old Tjen secured her own quarterfinal berth by dominating

Martina Okalova, 6-0, 6-1.

Tjen needed only 52 minutes to finish off Okalova, sealing her first-ever meeting with Eala on the WTA tour.

Tjen is currently ranked 130th, a career-high. She and Eala are both fresh from historic performances at the US Open.

In the prestigious tournament, Eala became the first Filipina to win a singles match in a Grand Slam while Tjen became the first Indonesian in 22 years to claim a main-draw victory.

Tjen is a proven winner as she owns 13 singles and six doubles titles on the International Tennis Federation circuit.(CCM)

• Tags
• #Alex Eala
• #Julia Rierra
• #Janice Tjen
• #WTA Sao Paulo Open 2025
• #Guadalajara Open champion
• #Philippine tennis star
• #women’s tennis
• #WTA quarterfinals
• #Grand Slam history
• #Filipino athlete
• #Indonesian tennis
• #Martina Okalova
• #ITF titles