Eala advances to Last 8 in Nantes

MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala carved out a gritty 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey to barge into the quarterfinals of the W60 Nantes yesterday in France.

Eala, who won two bronze medals in the Asian Games last month, clawed back from massive deficits in each set to frustrate her sixth-seeded foe and arrange a Last 8 duel against No. 3 seed Leolia Jeanjean of France.

Jeanjean, WTA No. 135, also scored a pesky 6-4, 7-6 (3) win over Francesca Curmi of Malta.

Unseeded in the elite $60,000 tourney and up against a higher-ranked opponent, Eala did not back down from the challenge against WTA No. 163 Sonmez, erasing 1-4 gaps in the first and second sets.