Alex Eala to face world No. 2 Elena Rybakina anew in Berlin Tennis Open

Alexandra "Alex" Eala is set for another tough test as she takes on world No. 2 Elena Rybakina in the Round of 16 of the Berlin Tennis Open.

Eala advanced after posting a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Donna Vekic in the opening round of the WTA 500 tournament on Wednesday, while Rybakina received a first-round bye and moved directly into the Round of 16.

The upcoming match marks another meeting between the two players.

Eala and Rybakina previously faced each other at the Italian Open in May, where the Kazakh star prevailed, 6-4, 6-3.

Season recap

Grass-court swing

• HSBC Championships (WTA 500) — Round of 16
• Birmingham Open (WTA 125) — Champion

Clay-court swing

• French Open (Grand Slam) — Round of 128
• Italian Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 32
• Madrid Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 64
• Stuttgart Open (WTA 500) — Round of 32
• Linz Open (WTA 500) — Round of 16

Sunshine Swing

• Miami Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 16
• Indian Wells Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 16

Middle East Swing

• Dubai Tennis Championships (WTA 1000) — Quarterfinals
• Qatar Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 64
• Abu Dhabi Open (WTA 500) — Quarterfinals

Philippine Women’s Open (WTA 125) — Quarterfinals

Australian Swing

• Australian Open (Grand Slam) — Round of 128
• ASB Classic (WTA 250) — Semifinals

—JKC, GMA News