World number two Elena Rybakina suffered another stumble in the lead up to Wimbledon as Alexandra Eala beat her 7-5 6-4 in the last 16 at the Berlin Open on Thursday.
Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, who won the Australian Open this year and will launch her bid for a second Wimbledon crown later this month, had lost to Katie Boulter in the quarter-finals at Queen’s Club last week.
Eala, ranked 35th in the world, set out to avenge her loss to Rybakina in Rome in May as she picked out tight angles across the court that the second seed was unable to chase down.
The 21-year-old from the Philippines sealed victory with a sharp crosscourt forehand that Rybakina misfired wide.
“I’m a little foggy right now. I think I’m still shaking. I was shaking on match point,” Eala said after her fifth win over a top-10 ranked opponent.
“(After the win) I called my dad. I don’t know. I said, oh my God. We were just screaming. My mom was there too. I’m really happy.”
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