Alex Eala eased through another pro quarterfinal berth in a span of two weeks in the ITF Rafael Nadal Academy World Tennis Tour on Thursday, January 28, in Manacor, Spain.

Eala trounced 24-year-old Spaniard Alba Carrillo Marin, 6-2, 6-3, in the 2nd round of the women’s $15,000 tournament.

The Filipina ace improved to a 2-0 win record over Carrillo Marin, who she met in the opening round of the W15 Castellon tournament last November.

The Spaniard previously notched a career-high ranking of No. 16 in the ITF singles and currently sits at No. 56.

The 15-year-old tennis sensation will face the winner between tournament No. 7 seed Ylena In-Albon of Switzerland and the Netherlands’ Suzan Lamens.

Eala had a strong start as she broke serve from the get-go and went up 5-1 in the opening set.

After cruising into the 2nd set, she escaped a 2-2 stalemate with back-to-back games and closed out the match in stellar fashion with a break point.

Previously, Eala defeated tournament No. 2 seed Mirjam Bjorklund of Sweden in a gritty three-setter.

Eala entered the competition fresh from her maiden pro title romp last Sunday, January 24 in the first leg of the tennis tour.

The 15-year-old Filipina defeated 28-year-old hometown bet Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers in the finals.

After playing her second straight tournament, Eala will also see action in the 3rd leg of the Rafael Nadal Academy-hosted tour that kicks off on February 1.

After kicking off the 2020 season with her maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne, the 15-year-old tennis star became the Philippines’ first junior Grand Slam semifinalist in 35 years in the Roland Garros girls singles tournament. – Rappler.com