Alex Eala suffers round of 16 exit at Oeiras Ladies Open
Alex Eala during a singles match at Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal. –Photo from fptennis via Alex Eala Instagram
MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala ended her Oeiras Ladies Open stint with a 6(4)-7, 4-6 loss to Panna Udvardy of Hungary in the round of 16 on Thursday (Manila time) in Portugal.
READ: Alex Eala continues career rise, climbs to world No. 73
After a rallying start, Eala surrendered a 4-1 lead in the second set as Udvardy stormed back to win five straight games and complete the comeback in their Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 match in Portugal.
The 19-year-old Filipino tennis star showed grit in the opening set, erasing a 1-3 deficit to force a tiebreaker. The Filipino took an early 2-1 lead in the tie breaker but couldn’t keep pace as Udvardy, ranked No. 137, surged ahead to take the set.
Eala entered the tournament riding high after a breakthrough semifinal run in the Miami Open en route to her best career finish in a WTA 1000 event and highest WTA ranking ever at World No. 73.
The Oeiras Ladies Open is the first tournament of Eala’s clay season, where she is expected to compete in the French Open main draw.
In her first match since Miami, she swept Anouk Koevermans of the Netherlands, 6-3, 6-4, in a rain-delayed match.
Her doubles stint also ended in the round of 16 after Eala and Katie Volynets got swept by fourth-seeded Americans Christina Rosca and Carmen Corley, 3-6, 4-6.
Volynets is one of Eala’s opponents in that Miami Open run where she turned by taking down by three Grand Slam champions.
The Filipino tennis sensation will shift her focus to the WTA 1000 in the Madrid Open starting on April 21.
