MANILA, Philippines -- Making sure she wouldn't fall victim to another significantly lower-ranked opponent, Filipino tennis ace and world No. 19 Alex Eala held off No. 411 and wildcard Mika Stojasavjevic of Great Britain, 6-1, 6-2, to start her WTA 500 Tokyo Open campaign in Japan Monday afternoon.
Emerging victorious in the hardly-fought seventh game of the second set, the 21-year-old Eala slammed the doors on the 17-year-old Stojsavjevic as she scored back-to-back from 30-30 to finish the match in one hour and 15 minutes.
For the third time, tournament No. 8 seed Eala faces world No. 38 Talia Gibson in the round of 16 (second round) likely on Tuesday.
Gibson topped world No. 75 Daria Kasatkina in their first round clash, 6-0, 7-5.
