Shnaider Stuns Eala Again With Tokyo Comeback to Reach Semi-Finals

Diana Shnaider is proving to be the riddle Alexandra Eala cannot solve. The Russian third seed came back from the brink of defeat to win their Toray Pan Pacific Open quarter-final in Tokyo 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 on Friday, beating Eala for the second time in eight days and reaching the semi-finals. Eala, the eighth seed, dominated the opener, winning five straight games at one stage to take it 6-2. Shnaider was in deep trouble again at 4-4 in the second set but survived after saving four break points, then stepped up at 5-5 in the tie-break to win the next two points and force a decider. A break in the third game of the final set proved decisive, and Shnaider closed out a two-hour, 52-minute thriller that featured 88 winners between the pair and 16 of 19 break points saved. It was a repeat of their Ningbo meeting last week, which Shnaider won 7-5, 6-4, and it leaves the world No. 13 two wins from the Tokyo title. She will face Slovakian teenager Mia Pohankova in the semi-finals, while Eala, who took home $33,475 and 108 ranking points, now heads to Hong Kong to finish her Asian swing. Shnaider said afterwards the match deserved to be a final, praising Eala's level as "insane".