Filipina tennis player Alex Eala advanced to the quarterfinals of the Berlin Open after defeating world No. 2 Elena Rybakina, 7-5, 6-4, in their Round of 16 match on Thursday.
Eala, ranked No. 35 in the WTA standings, secured the straight-sets victory against the tournament’s second seed and handed Rybakina another setback ahead of Wimbledon.
The 21-year-old Filipina broke through late in the opening set to take a 7-5 lead before closing out the match in the second set, 6-4.
The victory came more than a month after Rybakina defeated Eala in the Round of 32 of the Italian Open in Rome. It also marked Eala’s fifth career win against a Top 10 opponent.
Rybakina entered the Berlin Open as one of the top contenders in the grass-court tournament, having won the Australian Open earlier this year and previously captured the Wimbledon title.
With the win, Eala moves into the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 event as she continues her strongest season on the professional tour.
