Philstar.com
September 5, 2025 | 8:09am
MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala hurdled two straight video games in sooner or later within the Guadalajara 125 Open, trouncing Italy’s Nicole Fossa Huergo, 7-6(2), 6-2, of their quarterfinals duel to e-book a semifinal berth in Mexico early Friday (Manila time).
The Filipina sensation impressively picked up from the place she left off after her rain-delayed match yesterday with American Varvara Lepchenko, whom she additionally defeated when play resumed Friday.
Towards Huergo, Eala confronted a 1-4 deficit within the first set however bagged 5 of the following six video games to mount a 6-5 lead. She overcame a tiebreak pressured by her foe to grab the set.
The World No. 75 Eala shattered a 2-all impasse within the second set, then received the following three units to safe the win and the semis slot.
Previous to Thursday’s conflict with Huergo, Eala got here off an exhilarating back-and-forth marathon duel with Lepchenko within the second spherical.
She edged Lepchenko, 6(3)-7(7), 7(7)-6(3), 6-3, when their match resumed Friday to forge the quarters assembly with Huergo.
Eala dug deep towards the 39-year-old Huergo to seize a 4-2 edge as the 2 have been saved in deuces for a while.
This later gave the Rafa Nadal Academy graduate a much-needed increase, as she blanked her opponent within the seventh recreation.
However Lepchenko saved herself alive as she held her serve within the eighth recreation.
Eala, nevertheless, didn’t permit the World No. 122 tennister to storm again, holding her serve capped by a winner that went down the road.
The 20-year-old Filipina was holding a precarious 3-2 lead within the deciding set yesterday when officers suspended the sport.
Within the semis of the 64-player, $125,000 match, Eala will tackle the US’ Kayla Day — who earlier edged Colombia’s Emiliana Arango of their quarters pairing.
Day and Eala will collide not earlier than 2:10 a.m. on Saturday (Manila time). — With stories from Ralph Edwin Villanueva and John Bryan Ulanday