THREE-HOUR SLUG: Alex Eala reaches Suzhou Open quarterfinal round

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Alex Eala needed three hours and 18 minutes to repel Belgium’s Greet Minnen, 7–6, 6–7, 7–5, then marched to the quarterfinal stage of the WTA 125 Suzhou Open tournament on Oct. 1, 2025, at the Sungent International Tennis Center in China.

After a three-set triumph over Katarzyna Kawa in the Round of 32, Eala’s stamina and late-game conditioning were once again tested in a long grind to cruise past the Belgian netter.

Just like her outing against Kawa, Eala split the first two sets, which set the stage for a deciding third frame, but Minnen provided more resistance by keeping the contest closer against the Filipina ace.

Eala was bound for a statement win in the first set after opening the Round of 16 contest with a commanding 4–1 lead, but Minnen was able to deadlock the match at 4-all after scoring a crucial break point.

From that point, Eala was on the ropes and sought ways to get back to her hitting rhythm, but, thanks to a much-needed service hold that halted a scoring drought, she moved a step away from taking a 1–0 lead.

However, Minnen didn’t back down from the challenge and dragged Eala to a tiebreaker, even taking a 4–2 cushion that shifted the pressure to the young Filipina.

Just when Minnen thought that she could replicate her baseline efficiency, Eala fought back to tie things up at 4-all, concluding the first set with an impressive 5–1 run capped off by a forehand error from the Belgian.

Minnen countered in the following set to stay alive in the match, which set up a highly anticipated third-set showdown.

After a series of adjustments to figure out Minnen’s tricky down-the-line stroke, Eala finally cracked the code midway through the third and earned a break point that allowed her to pull away and secure the grueling victory.

Despite the loss, Minnen’s resiliency drew Eala’s praise, as the Belgian evened the score five times in the third set before failing to hold a crucial service possession.

Eala wrapped up her three-hour victory in China with 127 total points won, including three service breaks and 50 on return.

With the win, the 20-year-old tennis phenom will square off against Swiss pro Viktorija Golubic, who earned a quarterfinal seat by defeating Linda Fruhvirtova in the Round of 16.