Alex Eala refused to let her sore leg muscles bother her as she found her winning chances in the decisive third set.
Taking control in the fourth and fifth games, the 15-year-old Eala eked out a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, conquest of Czech rival Linda Nozkova Thursday afternoon at the 2020 French Open's Roland Garros Junior Tennis Championships girls' singles quarterfinals.
It took the second-seeded Eala an one hour and 59 minutes to get past Nozkova and advance to the semifinals at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France.
Eala broke serve in the second, fourth and eighth games of the third set, and scored 36 points on 58 first serves.
Nozkova crumbled into errors with her serves in the fourth game of third, allowing Eala to decisively take the lead, 3-1, at 40-15.
Looking sharp in a blue and pink-striped dress, Eala held serve, 4-1, and had Nozkova scoreless at 40-0, on her three service winners.
Third seed Elsa Jacquemot of France will be Eala's rival in the semis, advancing on a 6-4, 6-4 win over Kristina Dmitruk of Belarus.
After taking down Alexandra Vecic of Germany, 6-2, 6-3, Alina Charaeva will fight for the other finals' slot as she takes on fourth seed Russian Polina Kudermetova, who prevailed over French girl Oceana Babel, 6-3, 7-5.
After Eala yielded the first set, she bounced back in the second and pushed ahead, 4-2, 40-15, after remaining steady at the baseline.
Eala is a Rafa Nadal Academy scholar in Mallorca,Spain and a Globe Ambassador since 2013. She is on track to win her first-ever singles' Grand Slam title. She became the first Filipina to win a Grand Slam title after winning the 2020 Australian Open juniors doubles' title early this year with Indonesian partner Priska Nugroho.