Alex Eala clinched consecutive wins on the WTA Tour for the first time since the US Open after her latest victory in Tokyo.
Following three straight early exits in Singapore, Wuhan and Ningbo, Eala has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Pan Pacific Open in the Japanese capital. The Filipina dominated Mika Stojsavljevic in the opening round before rallying from a set down against Talia Gibson to book her place in the last eight, where she will take on third seed Diana Shnaider.
Eala’s poor run of form since her third-round finish at the US Open has left some fans of the 21-year-old star concerned, which her coach, Joan Bosch, addressed.
Joan Bosch sends a message to Alex Eala’s supporters
In an interview with Dyan Castillejo, Bosch said: “Expectation is good because it means that the people and Filipinos, they support Alex a lot, and we are super grateful for that. But that doesn’t mean that you have to win every week.
“Never forget that when we were 140 in the world, she made the semifinals in Miami and all the players we beat were better than us. So it’s part of the game. If you just look at the goal every week, we are not the only ones losing.
Which of these four WTA players do you think is most likely to win a Grand Slam in 2027?
“Every day, everyone loses. And if someone has the expectation, we are super happy and we are grateful for that. But expectation doesn’t mean to win every day or every week. In tennis, many players just win a tournament once a year or twice a year. So this is tennis.
“Maybe they should check all the players and see how difficult it is. We are happy with the Filipino supporters because we know they support us not only when we win because they really love Alex. So love means that. No matter the results, you have to support. If not, this is not real love.”
Joan Bosch looks ahead to clash with Diana Shnaider in Japan
Eala came up short in her first meeting with quarterfinal opponent Shnaider, having lost to her at the Ningbo Open, 7-5, 6-4. Shnaider, who reached the semifinals of Roland Garros earlier this year, went on to make the final four in Ningbo before losing to world number one Elena Rybakina.
“It’s a tough match for sure,” said Bosch of Eala’s next assignment. “Because she’s a number 13 I think. She made the semifinal last week. She’s been doing well since long. She also had a good tournament in China or somewhere.
“So it’s a very tough match where we have nothing to lose. We already lost last week. So she’s the one who is supposed to win tomorrow. It will also be tough for her.” Eala is competing in her first tour-level quarterfinal since the Washington Open.
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