Diana Shnaider held off Alexandra Eala 7-5, 6-4 to reach the BNB Ningbo Open quarterfinals, needing seven match points to finally close a demanding left-handed duel in 1 hour and 55 minutes.
The sixth seed is back in the Ningbo last eight for the third time in four appearances. She will next face fourth-seeded Iva Jovic, who beat Shnaider in their only previous meeting, 6-4, 1-6, 6-0 in the second round in Dubai this year.
Quick facts
- Result: No. 6 seed Diana Shnaider beat Alexandra Eala 7-5, 6-4.
- Match duration: 1 hour and 55 minutes.
- Shnaider converted her seventh match point.
- Her record against left-handed opponents improved to 11-9; Eala fell to 1-4.
- Next opponent: No. 4 seed Iva Jovic in the quarterfinals.
Shnaider and Eala, ranked No. 13 and No. 20 respectively, are among the tour’s highest-ranked left-handers. Wuhan champion Maja Chwalinska, at No. 11, sits above them in that group.
The matchup demanded a specific adjustment despite both players sharing the same handedness. “You expect the slice serve into the body, definitely a little more variation and a different type of ball strike,” Shnaider said after the match.
She added that the early games are about reading spin, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and allowing time for the rhythm of the ball to become familiar. “Then it becomes a bit easier as the games go on,” she said.
It was their first professional meeting, though Eala had won their lone junior contest 6-1, 6-3 at the 2019 Osaka JA event. The Ningbo match changed sharply after an opening stretch in which serving controlled proceedings.
Neither player faced a break through the first eight games. At 4-4, Eala missed a routine forehand wide to surrender serve, and Shnaider eventually completed the first set after needing a second attempt to serve it out.
From that point, returns dominated. Eight of the next nine games went against serve, with Shnaider’s successful set-closing hold the lone exception.
Shnaider was cleaner in the opener, striking 16 winners against seven unforced errors. Eala produced 13 winners and 11 unforced errors. The second set was less tidy from both sides: Shnaider had 13 winners and 16 errors, while Eala recorded 11 winners alongside 19 mistakes.
Eala fought through two break points to hold for 3-3 in the second set, then had an opportunity to move ahead 5-3 on Shnaider’s serve. Shnaider escaped, broke again when Eala sent a forehand long, and stepped up to serve for the match.
The final game lasted seven deuces. Eala saved the third match point with a bold drop shot followed by a passing shot, and created two break opportunities, but could not convert either. On the seventh match point, Shnaider completed the victory.
“She never goes back down — she steps in, she rips the ball,” Shnaider said of Eala. “Definitely much better than my previous match.”
Shnaider had also survived a close opening-round test against Yulia Putintseva, winning 7-5, 7-6(4) after saving five set points across the two sets. A Ningbo runner-up to Ons Jabeur in 2023 and a semifinalist in 2025, she now has another chance to deepen her run at the tournament against Jovic.
