Fueled by the cheering of Filipino fans, Alexandra Eala made a sensational start at the Linz Open in Austria on Tuesday, defeating its home bet Julia Grabher, 6-4, 6-3.
Jabir’s straight sets win in her opening match here on clay this season puts her through to the last 16, where she is ranked world number 46.
The Filipina sensation will next face the former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, whom she defeated a year ago when she gained notoriety with her run to the semifinals at the Miami Open.
The Philippines’ highest-ranked player ever, Eala will be confident of making the next stage even as she squares off against a player — Ostapenko — who had her biggest win on clay.
The 28-year-old Latvian is an immensely experienced campaigner. But like always, Eala will have her legion of Filipino fans rallying behind her.
On Tuesday, hundreds of flag-waving fans showed up at the TipsArena Linz to support her as Eala delivered a solid game to subdue Grabher.
The Austrian had the home-court advantage but was no match for the lefty who rode the wave of support from Filipino fans to win in two sets.
The 20-year-old also reached a semifinal this season at the Auckland Open.
She reached the quarterfinals at this season’s Abu Dhabi Open and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships as well.
A place in the quarterfinals of her opening clay court tournament of the season now can only uplift her as she steps up her pursuit for success at the top level.