Alex Eala rose from a first-set hiccup to stun Romanian 12th seed Laura-Ioana Paar, 6-7 (6), 6-1, 6-0, in the W60 Bellinzona tournament in Switzerland early Thursday, April 8.
The win set up Eala a third-round date with wildcard bet Simona Waltert of Switzerland, who also pulled off a shocking 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 upset win over seventh pick Antonia Lottner of Germany.
Eala kept her composure after losing the tightly contested opening frame, where she trailed throughout from a 3-0 deficit.
The 15-year-old Filipina rising star quickly recovered heading into the second set by breaking Paar’s serve in the first game.
The Romanian briefly showed signs of life when she held her serve in the third game, but wavered as Eala regained control of the match that lasted two hours and 15 minutes.
“So happy to win my match today. Thank you for continuing to cheer me on!” Eala wrote on her Facebook account hours after the win.
Against Waltert, it would be the third time that the two would clash in the circuit with an even head-to-head record.
Eala, 15, won their first meeting in the W25 Manacor in Spain last month, 6-1, 6-4, but the 20-year-old Swiss prevailed in their second duel at the W15 Manacor a week later, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5.
Waltert is currently ranked No. 284 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and is seeking her second International Tennis Federation (ITF) title after ruling the W15 Manacor last month.
Eala, likewise, seeks her second pro title while improving her current ranking at No. 715.