Alex Eala rose to the occasion, fending off Japan’s Sakatsume Himeno, 6-4, 6-0, in the Round of 16 of the women’s singles at the 2026 Philippine Women’s Open on Wednesday at the Felicisimo Ampon Tennis Center in Manila.
The World No. 49 carried the momentum from a tight opening set to dominate early in the second, breaking Sakatsume’s serve twice for a commanding 4-0 lead.
Eala then capitalized on every opportunity, finishing rallies efficiently and securing another break to move within one game of victory at 5-0.
The 33rd Southeast Asian Games gold medalist eventually consolidated those three service breaks with a massive turnaround in what would become the winning game.
However, the match was far from smooth sailing for the Asian Games bronze medalist.
The first set was a back-and-forth battle, with Eala ultimately prevailing after securing a second break of Sakatsume’s serve in the frame. The Japanese player fought hard to deny Eala an early lead, relying on her powerful serves and capitalizing on Eala’s errors to level the score at three games apiece.
Eala, however, would not be denied in the ninth game, dismantling Sakatsume’s serve with decisive forehand returns to take a 5-4 advantage. The 20-year-old Filipina ace then closed out the opener with a winner, aided by a lucky net bounce on her set point.
Next up for Eala is Colombia’s Camila Osorio, who earlier turned the tables on Mai Hontama, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
