By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Alex Eala moved into the Round of 16 of the WTA Linz Open after defeating Austria’s Julia Grabher in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, in Austria yesterday (Philippine time).

The Negrense tennis standout had to work through a tight opening set, staying level with Grabher before pulling away late to take control of the match.

She carried that momentum into the second set, fending off attempts by the Austrian to mount a comeback and closing out the victory in convincing fashion.

It was the first career meeting between the two players.

Grabher, 29 years old, entered the match ranked No. 87 in the world, with a career-high of No. 54 achieved in 2023.

Meanwhile, Eala is currently ranked No. 46, having reached a personal best of No. 29 earlier this year.

The 20-year-old Negros Occidental’s Victorias City native has been building on a breakthrough 2025 campaign that included her first WTA 125 title in Guadalajara.

Eala will face a tougher challenge in the next round as she takes on World’s No. 23 and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko./ASC, WDJ