By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negrense Alexandra Eala continued her strong run in the ASB Classic after advancing to the quarterfinals of the women’s singles with a dominant 6-0, 6-2 victory over Croatia’s Petra Marčinko in the Round-of-16 in New Zealand yesterday (Philippine time).

The Negros Occidental’s Victorias City native tennis sensation, seeded fourth in the singles event of the tournament, needed just two sets to dispatch Marčinko in their Round-of-16 encounter at Center Court.

The 20-year-old Eala controlled the match from the opening game, converting all six of her break-point chances while winning 57 total points compared to Marčinko’s 30.

“I’m very happy with the match. Different conditions from the night session that I played the other day. Overall, a great level,” Eala said.

“I think she had great shots, and at one point it became close, but I’m happy pulling off the win,” she added.

The key moment came early in the second set.

After Marčinko held serve, Eala found herself under pressure at 0-40 in the following game.

She responded by holding firm, preventing her opponent from gaining a foothold in the match.

“I definitely think that helped,” Eala remarked.

“It’s never easy. The further they go, the harder it is to come back. But she kept fighting, and I just had to stay there and be solid,” she said.

“I think that’s a fundamental part of my game. I try to be aggressive when I can, and I try to recognize when it’s not the time to be aggressive, and that’s something I’m still working on,” she added.

Meanwhile, Eala, along with her partner Iva Jović, progressed to the semifinals of the doubles event following a walkover win against Jesika Malečková of the Czech Republic and Mexico’s Renata Zarazúa./ASC, WDJ