Alexandra Eala crashed out in the Ningbo Open last 16 on Thursday as world No 1 Elena Rybakina reached the quarter-finals on her return from injury when opponent Polina Kudermetova retired.

Top seed and defending champion Rybakina was cruising 5-0 in eastern China when the world No 105 from Uzbekistan called it quits because of injury.

Philippine history-maker Eala suffered a battling straight-sets defeat to Diana Shnaider, the Russian world No 13 winning 7-5, 6-4 to book a quarter-final against talented American teenager Iva Jovic.

The 21-year-old Eala in August became the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA title and is typically followed by a throng of fans from her country.

But after beating France’s Diane Parry in straight sets in the previous round in Ningbo, in eastern China, the world No 20 came up against a far sterner test in Shnaider.

The 22-year-old Russian, who is seeking to win a sixth WTA singles title, used her superior power to take the first set in just over 50 minutes.

The second set was closer as Eala, who suffered a shock first-round exit to Chinese qualifier Shi Han at the Wuhan Open earlier this month, fought for survival.

Shnaider put the Eala serve under severe pressure in the ninth game before breaking for 5-4, then doggedly held to seal victory in one hour and 55 minutes.

The 18-year-old Jovic defeated two-time grand slam finalist Jasmine Paolini of Italy 6-4, 6-3.

Moscow-born Kazakh Rybakina will face Poland’s unseeded Katarzyna Kawa in the last eight.

Rybakina, 27, won the US Open for her third grand slam crown in September and usurped Aryna Sabalenka as world No 1 in New York.

She was then stunned in the second round in Beijing at the start of this month, and pulled out of the Wuhan Open citing a foot injury.