Alex Eala rose to the occasion, defeating 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 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 her three service breaks with a massive turnaround in what would become the winning game.
With the win, Eala leveled the head-to-head record against the 24-year-old Japanese. Sakatsume had claimed the first encounter three years ago, winning 6-0, 6-3 in the Round of 32 at the WTA 250 Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in Osaka.
“I think that I was able to get my groove the longer I was on court. And yeah, I thankfully ended the match playing better than I started, so I think those are some good takeaways. So, I just tried to take it point by point. There were some difficult moments in the first set, but I’m happy on how I’d pulled through and managed those tough situations,” the 20-year-old shared.
However, the revenge 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.
The Japanese netter fought hard to deny Eala an early lead, relying on her powerful serves and capitalizing on Eala’s errors to level the score at 3-3.
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 defeated Mai Hontama, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
“I think the next match will be very difficult. She’s a very experienced and very skilled player. Off the court, she’s just a sweet person. So, I think it’s going to be a battle like every match, and a very good one also,” said the Filipina ace.
