Unstoppable Alexandra Eala: Filipina star continues hot streak and reach quarterfinals in Brazil

Alexandra Eala is in impeccable form, securing another victory in the second round of the São Paulo Open. The world No. 61 is on a hot streak—following her championship win at the Zapopan Challenger last week—and has now achieved seven consecutive victories on the WTA Tour.

The 20-year-old Filipina had no trouble defeating Argentina's Julia Riera, the world No. 188, with a convincing 6-1, 6-4 win that secures Eala a spot in the São Paulo quarterfinals. Eala has been taking full advantage of her great run of form in recent hard-court tournaments.

Although she was eliminated in the second round of the US Open by Cristina Bucsa, Eala had previously earned a notable first-round victory against Clara Tauson (14th seed), proving again that she has the level to compete with the world's best. She then used the second week of the Grand Slam to play in the Challenger 125 Zapopan Open, winning her first title in that category by defeating the experienced Hungarian Panna Udvardy in the final.

Just two days after lifting the title, Eala traveled to São Paulo, Brazil, to compete in the inaugural WTA 250 tournament. As the third seed, she breezed through the first round against qualifier Yasmine Mansouri, dropping only two games. In the second round, she secured another victory.

A Challenging Match Against Riera

It was a complicated match against the 23-year-old Argentine, a player who reached the top 100 a year ago but has been sidelined by injuries. Her No. 187 ranking didn't reflect the danger of facing Riera, who had previously defeated Eala in the third round of the Roland Garros qualifying back in 2024.

This time, Eala came in as the favorite and quickly took control of the match, securing two consecutive breaks at the start and easily defending her service games. The Filipina took a 4-0 lead and seemed headed for another straightforward victory. Riera reacted by breaking back in the fifth game on her first opportunity, but it wasn't enough to mount a comeback. Eala quickly regained control, secured her third consecutive break, and closed out the first set 6-1 in just 34 minutes.

In the second set, the Argentine again had service problems, and Eala got an early break to go up 1-0. Riera responded by breaking back, and things started to even out for the first time as both players managed to defend their serve, tying the second set at 2-2. The South American had improved her effectiveness with both her first and second serves, while Eala was making more errors than in the first set.

However, the Filipina never truly lost control of the match. In the fifth game, she again got a break that put her ahead. With a couple of excellent service games won at love, Eala extended her lead to 5-3. Riera then saved a couple of match points on her serve, and the Argentine reduced the deficit, but it wasn't enough against a persistent Eala, who then served out the victory 6-1, 6-4 to seal her place in the São Paulo quarterfinals.

With this win, Eala is guaranteed to continue moving up the WTA rankings and will appear next week at a career-high ranking as world No. 55. In her next challenge, she will face Indonesia's Janice Tjen, the current world No. 130, who is making her first-ever appearance in the quarterfinals of a tournament at this level.

Match Statistics Riera vs. Eala