Filipina tennis star Alexandra “Alex” Eala will face Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic in the quarterfinals of the Hong Kong Tennis Open on Friday night after both players secured victories in the second round on Thursday. Eala advanced to the last eight with a 6-4, 7-6(7) victory over Tereza Valentova, while Ruzic booked her quarterfinal spot by defeating China’s Xinyu Wang, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.
Currently ranked No. 81 in the world, Ruzic reached a career-high ranking of No. 50 last July. The 23-year-old Croatian made her Grand Slam debut at the US Open last year and competed in all four Grand Slam tournaments this season, reaching the second round of the French Open and Wimbledon.
Ruzic also reached the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this year, scoring wins over Emma Raducanu and Elena Rybakina, who retired during their match, before losing to Elina Svitolina. She also reached the quarterfinals of the Japan Open ahead of her campaign in Hong Kong.
