Filipina tennis star Alex Eala looks to maintain her winning form when she takes on world No. 13 Diana Shnaider in the Round of 16 of the Ningbo Open on Thursday, with a quarterfinal spot on the line.
The world No. 20 Eala is set to face the 22-year-old Russian left-hander for the first time at 1 p.m. Manila time at the Yinzhou International Tennis Center in China.
Eala enters the match with renewed confidence after sweeping past Frenchwoman Diane Parry, 6-3, 6-1, on Monday, October 19. The convincing victory ended her run of early exits during the Asian swing.
However, Eala faces a tougher challenge against the higher-ranked Shnaider, who advanced after overcoming Yulia Putintseva in a hard-fought encounter lasting two hours and 26 minutes. Shnaider prevailed, 7-5, 7-6 (4), to secure her place in the second round.
A win would propel Eala into the quarterfinals, where she could face either Iva Jovic or Jasmine Paolini as she looks to extend her campaign in Ningbo.
