Eala seeks consistency as Riera eyes a breakthrough at Sao Paulo.
Third seed Alexandra Eala continues her Sao Paulo Open campaign with a round-of-16 clash against Julie Riera. Eala arrives with confidence after a gritty three-set win over Panna Udvardy at the Abierto Zapopan. Her season has been mixed with frustrating early exits and deep runs.
The 20-year-old reached the Eastbourne final, falling just short against Maya Joint, and opened the year with semifinal runs in Canberra and Miami, where Jessica Pegula proved too strong. A quarterfinal showing in Ilkley adds to her resume, but outside of those deep runs, consistency has been challenging. Stat-wise, she has 17 aces across 19 matches, winning 56.1% of first-serve points and converting nearly half her break chances (47.5%).
Riera, meanwhile, cracked the Australian Open main draw for the first time and reached the semifinals at Copa Colsanitas, though she still awaits her maiden WTA title. The Argentine has been more of a fixture on the ITF circuit, where she owns seven singles and two doubles trophies. Statistically, she fired 25 aces in just six matches, with a 64.4% first-serve win rate, but her return game (42.5% points won) leaves room to improve.
Alexandra Eala and Julie Riera are level at 1-1 in their head-to-head rivalry. Both clashes came in 2024, first in Cary and later on the clay of Roland Garros. Riera struck first in Cary with a gritty comeback that included a tiebreak battle, but Eala answered back in Paris, sweeping through in straight sets to even the score.
| Year | Event | Round | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Cary | Round of 32 | Alexandra Eala | 6-3, 6-1 |
| 2024 | Roland Garros | Qualifying 3 | Julie Riera | 4-6, 6-7(3), 6-4 |
| Alexandra Eala | Category | Julie Riera |
| 61 | Current Ranking | 188 |
| 186-110 | Career W-L | 212-131 |
| 32-19 | YTD W-L | 18-17 |
| 0 | Career Titles | 0 |
| 0 | Grand Slams | 0 |
| 0 | YTD Titles | 0 |
Eala’s uneven season makes her vulnerable, but her deeper runs at bigger events suggest she has the edge in experience and shot-making. Expect her to ride that momentum past Riera.
Prediction: Alexandra Eala in straight sets
With bookmakers setting Eala at 1/5 and Riera at 7/2, the numbers clearly favor the third seed. On paper, Eala should advance comfortably, though Riera’s serve could keep things tight.
Here are the betting odds according to BetMGM:
Alexandra Eala: 1/5
Julie Riera: 7/2
Here are the odds for total games as well as total sets for both players (sourced via BetMGM):
Total Sets Under 2.5: 7/20
Total Sets Over 2.5: 41/20
Total Games Under 21.5: 8/15
Total Game Over 21.5: 7/5
Eala Set 1 Winner: 7/25
Riera Set 1 Winner: 13/5
(According to BetMGM: BetMGM offers exclusive promo codes, bonus deals and accurate odds for users upon signing up. Use BetMGM to ace your betting game in all sports!)
Mandatory Image Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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