By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negrense Alex Eala moved into the quarterfinals of the Birmingham Open after posting a convincing 6-2, 7-5 victory over Alina Charaeva in their Round of 16 match on Thursday night, June 4 (Philippine time).

Eala delivered a strong all-around performance, controlling key exchanges and capitalizing on her opportunities to secure the straight-sets win.

Eala dominated on serve, firing three aces while committing just one double fault.

She landed 80 percent of her first serves and won 73 percent of points behind them, compared to Charaeva’s 56 percent success rate on first-serve points.

The 21-year-old Eala also proved effective on her second serve, winning 64 percent of those points against Charaeva’s 43 percent.

Eala converted four of her nine break-point chances while limiting her opponent to just one break in three opportunities.

She also held a significant advantage in receiving points and won, 32-18.

Overall, Eala scored 74 total points against Charaeva’s 52 and finished with a 13-7 edge in games won.

She also produced a match-best streak of five consecutive games and eight straight points at one stage.

The victory continued Eala’s impressive run in the grass-court tournament as she advanced to the last eight, where she will seek a place in the semifinals./ASC, WDJ