Alex Eala is through to the quarter-finals of the 2026 Pan Pacific Open, and she has looked ahead to her showdown with Diana Shnaider.

The 21-year-old Filipina star recovered to beat world No 38 Talia Gibson 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 in the second round at the WTA 500 tournament on Wednesday.

Eala will face world No 13 Shnaider in Tokyo on Friday in a rematch of the pair’s second round encounter at the Ningbo Open last week.

Shnaider defeated Eala 7-5, 6-4 at the WTA 500 in Ningbo in what was their first-ever meeting.

In an on-court interview after beating Gibson, Eala said: “Yes, I am on a mission (smiles). And yeah, it was a really close first set, and it came down to details.

“So I really tried to make it a point to have more focus during those moments when I felt it was more important.”

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On the challenge of facing Gibson, the world No 19 said: “Well, I think Talia is a really big hitter.

“Very aggressive, so could be difficult sometimes to get ahead of her.

“And I think, like I said, the details start to add up, and then when the momentum gets going, maybe I become more aggressive and a little bit more consistent. And everything kind of accumulates into a better player.”

Asked about playing Shnaider, Eala said: “I think Diana has been having a really great season, obviously, and playing super well.

“She was on before me and it was a really great match. So, gonna be a tough one, and I’m really excited.”

Shnaider described Eala as a “very dangerous” player after winning their match in Ningbo.

“I mean, obviously very happy the way I play today, the way I compete, because definitely Alex is very dangerous and a tough opponent,” said the 22-year-old Russian.

“I mean, another lefty, another big hitter. Yeah, she never goes back down, you know. She steps in, she rips the ball. So, I knew it was going to be tough. So, yeah, very proud and happy the way I performed today.”

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