EASTBOURNE, United Kingdom — LOCAL tennis star Alexandra 'Alex' Eala showed what true Filipino resiliency means as she rallied from a disastrous opening set to beat fourth seed Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, 0-6, 6-2, 3-2, clinching a spot in the quarterfinals of the Womens Tennis Association (WTA) 250 Lexus Eastbourne Open on Wednesday night at the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club in Eastbourne, United Kingdom.

It was repeat win over the Latvian for Eala after an hour and 37 minutes of grueling display of tennis prowess. Ostapenko retired early in the third set due to an apparent injury, shortly after Eala had jumped to a 2-0 lead.

Now listed as Number 74 in the WTA world rankings, the 20-year-old Filipina from Quezon City showed her win against the world's No. 20 at the Miami Open was no fluke as she reached the Final 8 of her final tournament before Wimbledon.

Eala now awaits her quarterfinal opponent between home bet Francesca Jones, ranked No. 125 by the WTA, and world's No. 45 Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine.

Eala first beat Ostapenko in the second round of the Miami Open last March on the way to a breakthrough semifinal appearance in the WTA event.

The repeat victory seemed improbable for the Pinay sensation after she lost the first set at love, but she came back to life in the second set where she won three straight games from 1-1 to take control.