Alex Eala gets payback, advances to Ilkley Open quarters

Alex Eala sweeps Switzerland’s Valentina Ryser in the second round of the Lexus Ilkley Open — a payback win for the Filipina after she lost to the same foe three months ago

MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala exacted revenge on Switzerland’s Valentina Ryser to claim her spot in the quarterfinals of the WTA 125 Lexus Ilkley Open.

The top-seeded Eala scored a methodical 6-1, 6-2 win over Ryser in the second round at Court 1 of the Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club in United Kingdom on Thursday, June 12.

It was payback for Eala after she lost to the Swiss in the second round of the W75 Trnava in Slovakia in March, with the Filipina pouncing on a weary Ryser.

Ryser was playing her fourth match in as many days, needing two wins in the qualifying rounds to make it to the main draw.

Eala took advantage by forcing Ryser on the back foot with her superior groundstrokes, winning five straight games after a 1-1 tie to finish the first set in just 29 minutes.

Ryser showed some signs of a fightback in the second set, earning her first service break in the second game to even the score at 1-1. The next three games resulted in service breaks, with Eala still coming out on top at 3-2.

The Filipina began creating some separation as she held serve in the sixth game, spelling the beginning of the end for the world No. 230 from Switzerland. Ryser attempted one final rally when she held a double break point in the eighth game. But Eala immediately quashed any possibility of a Swiss comeback, eventually holding serve and ending the match in just 1 hour and 8 minutes.

Eala, who triumphed over Filipina-Australian Lizette Cabrera in the opening round, replicated a demolition of Ryser similar to the first time they played each other when the Filipina prevailed in straight sets in the W25 Yecla in Spain in 2023.

With the victory against Ryser, the 20-year-old Filipina arranged a quarterfinal clash with eighth seed Rebecca Marino, the Canadian winning over hometown bet Emily Appleton to advance.

Marino is a 34-year-old veteran who once was ranked 38th in the world and was twice named Female Player of the Year by Tennis Canada. – Rappler.com