Elena Rybakina impressed after battling Alexandra Eala in Rome

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Elena Rybakina has booked her place in the Italian Open quarter-finals, seeing off Alexandra Eala in straight sets.

Still, the match wasn’t without its challenges. The world number two had to dig deep against an opponent who didn’t back down easily.

Most didn’t give the 20-year-old much of a chance before play started, especially considering her serve was up against one of the best in the game.

Eala showed plenty of resolve and was only broken three times while managing to break Rybakina once herself.

Afterwards, Rybakina shared her thoughts on what was her first encounter with Eala.

Elena Rybakina shares her thoughts after first meeting with Alexandra Eala

Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images

With the backing she has, every opponent will take note of what it’s like to play against one of the Philippines’ standout talents.

And she’s exactly the type of player who won’t give anything away easily, always making sure her fans have something to cheer about. She didn’t need to be asked twice if she was happy to get through without too much trouble.

She said: “It’s nice to win in straight sets and it’s better than the previous tournament and today was tough conditions. It was raining before, so it was very slow and the balls were heavy, but I’m happy that I managed to win.

“We played with Alex for the first time against each other and it’s always challenging to play against a lefty, but overall I’m happy with everything I did on the court.”

Eala also had her performance against Rybakina rated by a former WTA player.

Alex Eala’s Italian Open doubles campaign still going ahead

Even though her singles run ended against Rybakina, Eala isn’t done in Rome just yet.

She’s set to play doubles with Hailey Baptiste, who has been in strong form lately. It wasn’t a pairing many expected to see in the main draw, but they made it in as alternates following a late withdrawal from another team.

Baptiste is already out of the singles draw as well, so both players will welcome the extra court time before heading to Roland Garros.

The American has also caught attention recently by defeating Aryna Sabalenka on her way to the Madrid Open semi-finals. With both players out of singles, their partnership could be one to watch as they look for more clay-court preparation ahead of Roland Garros.

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