Alex Eala wasted little time in booking her place in the Pan Pacific Open second round.
The Filipina star comfortably defeated British youngster Mika Stojsavljevic on Monday, triumphing 6-1, 6-2 in Tokyo.
The result ensures that Eala’s strong record against British players remains intact; the 21-year-old now has a 5-1 record against players from the island nation.
| Player | Alex Eala’s record |
| Katie Boulter | 1-0 |
| Francesca Jones | 1-0 |
| Sonay Kartal | 0-1 |
| Katy Dunne | 2-0 |
| Mika Stojsavljevic | 1-0 |
Following Monday’s contest, Eala offered her instant reaction to the result.
Alex Eala predicts she will play Mika Stojsavljevic ‘many more times’
“I think it was super important today to be focused in every single point. Playing against Mika for the first time was a great experience, and I’m sure we will meet many, many more times,” Eala said in her on-court interview.
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“I think she has a really good level and I’ll see her many more times on Tour. But yeah, I think it was super important to be focused, especially in the first round and try to keep the intensity up.”
Eala was then asked to delve into her tactical approach – specifically, the high level of aggression she showed off the return against an opponent known for having a powerful serve.
“I think it’s a part of my style,” Eala stated. “She’s a great server. I definitely think that’s one of the key points from the match today.
“That’s one of the things that made it a bit more difficult for me, so I’m really happy that I was able to do that.”
As mentioned by the interviewer, Eala was her usual aggressive self off the return.
The aggression paid off in a big way, as evidenced by her impressive statistics off the return. The Filipina won 39 per cent of all points off Stojsavljevic’s first serve and 68 per cent off the Briton’s second serve.
Eala also won 59 per cent of her second-serve points, 72 per cent of her first-serve points, and broke her opponent’s serve on four occasions.
| Statistical area | Alex Eala | Mika Stojsavljevic |
| Aces | 1 | 2 |
| Double faults | 0 | 5 |
| First-serve return win % | 39 | 27 |
| Second-serve return win % | 68 | 41 |
| Break-point conversion | 4/7 | 0/3 |
Who will Alex Eala play next?
Eala is set to play talented Australian youngster Talia Gibson in the Pan Pacific Open second round.
Gibson, who reached the Indian Wells quarter-finals in March, defeated compatriot Daria Kasatkina in the first round, 6-0, 7-5.
Eala and Gibson have played each other twice before: at the 2023 W40 Palma de Rio, Spain, and the 2023 W25 Aldershot.
Eala emerged victorious on both occasions. In Spain, the Filipina triumphed 6-3, 6-1, and in England, she won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
The victorious party from their match will play one of three players in the Pan Pacific Open quarter-finals: third seed Diana Shnaider – whom Eala recently lost to in Ningbo – Aliaksandra Sasnovich or Nikola Bartunkova.
