Alex Eala defeated Zeynep Sonmez of Turkiye 7-6(5), 6-4 on Wednesday night (Manila time) in France to advance to the W60 Nantes quarterfinals.

Sonmez, the sixth seed in the competition, was upset by Eala, who had earlier vanquished hometown favorite Amandine Hesse.

After leveling the score at 4–4, the Filipina had to come roaring back to win the opening set. Eala then capitalized on the momentum to win the second set 6-4 and advance to her first professional quarterfinal since the W25 Aldershot.

In single’s play, the 21-year-old Sonmez is presently ranked 163rd in the world. 

Sonmez only received 31 receiving points, while the 18-year-old Filipina scored 37. She narrowly prevailed in the services as well, scoring 39 to Sonmez’s 38.

The 193rd-ranked Eala will attempt to advance to the tournament’s semifinals, but Leolia Jeanjean of France will be a strong opponent.

Jeanjean, who is 28 years old, is placed 135th in the world.

On Thursday night, the two will square off (Manila time).