Eala guns for Eastbourne quarters against Grand Slam winner Ostapenko

AND they meet again.

Filipina ace Alexandra “Alex” Eala and Latvian sensation Jelena Ostapenko figure in another gigantic duel for a seat in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Lexus Eastbourne Open in England.

Three months after their first duel that resulted into a stunning upset in favor of Ms. Eala, the two stars were to clash at press time (9:30 p.m., Manila time) in the Round of 16 after sweeping their first-round foes.

Ms. Eala, who came all the way from the qualifiers, bulldozed Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) No. 61 Lucia Bronzetti of Italy in a near shutout, 6-0, 6-1, as the former French Open champion Ms. Ostapenko grinded out a 6-3, 7-6(2) win against WTA. No. 49 Sonay Kartal.

The 20-year-old Filipina currently sits at No. 74 in the WTA rankings while Ms. Ostapenko is at No. 20 while being the No. 4 player in the doubles, making her the heavy favorite in their rematch.

Ms. Ostapenko, 28, is also the No. 3 seed in the $250,000 tournament but Ms. Eala has proven time and time and again that she has what it takes to topple a titan like the Latvian veteran.

Back in Miami, Ms. Eala scored a 7-6(2), 7-5 win over then WTA No. 25 Ms. Ostapenko that ignited her Cinderella run to a historic Final Four finish marked by wins over three Top-10 players and former Grand Slam champions.

That amazing campaign opened the doors for Ms. Eala to enter the WTA Top 100, reaching as high as No. 69, to now become eligible for direct invites in the main draws of all Grand Slam tournaments.

Ms. Eala will certainly bank on that psychological edge to make a deep run in Eastbourne anew serving as her final build-up for the Wimbledon in nearby London on June 30 to July 11.

But Ms. Ostapenko, at all costs, is expected to go for a sweet and emphatic revenge.

Winner gets to face either Dayana Yastremska (WTA No. 42) of Ukraine or Francesca Jones (WTA No. 125) of Great Britain in the Last 8. — John Bryan Ulanday