Alex Eala beats Julia Riera to book spot in São Paulo Open quarterfinals, soars to career-high No. 55

Alex Eala’s hot streak shows no signs of cooling down. The 20-year-old Filipino tennis star stormed into the quarterfinals of the 2025 São Paulo Open with a commanding 6-1, 6-4 victory over Argentina’s Julia Riera on Tuesday, extending her winning run to six matches since lifting her maiden WTA crown at the Guadalajara 125.

Eala, seeded No. 3 in the clay-court event, looked every bit the favorite from the opening rally. She raced to a 4-0 lead in the first set, pouncing on Riera’s errors while dictating play with crisp angles and relentless baseline pressure. It took her just 33 minutes to close out the opener, surrendering only one game in a blistering start.

Though Riera showed more grit in the second set, the World No. 188 was undone by inconsistency, committing three double faults in her opening service game that handed Eala an early break.

 From there, the Filipina held her ground with poise, mixing defense with timely counterattacks to keep the Argentine at bay.

The result not only sends Eala into her third straight WTA quarterfinal but also improves her head-to-head record against Riera to 2-1.  

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Alex Eala has climbed up the WTA Live rankings to reach a new career-high of no. 55 after her R16 Sao Paulo win!

Screengrab Live WTA Ranking / Tennis Eu Site pic.twitter.com/WpCI132JWo

— Dyan Castillejo (@DYANCASTILLEJO) September 10, 2025

The pair had previously split their encounters, with Riera edging Eala in a grueling 2024 French Open qualifying match before the Filipina struck back at the ITF W100 Cary with a dominant 6-3, 6-1 win.

The Quezon City native’s continued rise has also been rewarded in the rankings. With her Round of 16 triumph, Eala climbed to a new career-high of World No. 55 in the live WTA standings, marking another milestone in what has already been a breakout 2025 season.

Her next opponent is Indonesia’s Janice Tjen, the fast-rising World No. 130, who has compiled an eye-popping 59–11 record this year. 

Tjen has been in red-hot form in São Paulo, breezing past Martina Okalova, 6-1, 6-0, after stunning seventh seed Leolia Jeanjean, 6-2, 6-3, in the earlier rounds.

Eala now finds herself just three wins away from a second consecutive WTA title. With momentum on her side, her growing confidence, and the form that has already carried her to career-defining victories this year, the young Filipina is looking increasingly like a force to be reckoned with on the women’s tour. 

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