ICYMI | Eala bows out of Singapore Open, falls to world No. 180

Jexy Bulanhagui

A three-hour battle ended in an early exit for Filipina tennis star Alex Eala, who fell to an opponent ranked outside the world’s top 150.

Eala booted out of the Singapore Open campaign after she fell to Russia’s Tatiana Prozorova, 4–6, 7–5, 6–3, in the Round of 16 at the OCBC Arena, Sept. 24.

The defeat marked the left-handed Filipina’s first match in the Asian leg following her third-round exit at the US Open on Sept. 6.

“I think first [you] just have to, you know like every loss—accept the fact that she [Prozorova] performed better today and then look at it and take the time to analyze, take the time to learn like I said, and you know, I fought, I did everything I do on the court,” the 21-year-old spoke in the post-game interview.

Throughout the match, the Russian underdog repeatedly unleashed multiple overhead shots to pierce through Eala’s defense and disrupt the world No. 18’s return game.

“Disappointed of course, [yeah] I think I’ll take the time to just see what I could have improved and take the time to learn,” the lefty Filipina said.

After falling behind 2–0, the Rafa Nadal Academy product rallied for a three-nil run and gained momentum for the deciding-set, 3–2.

However, Prozorova continued to play aggressively and eventually turned the tide to her favor, claiming the last four games to seal the match.

Following her early exit, the 21-year-old Filipina now turns her attention to the 20th Asian Games in Japan, where she is set to represent the Philippines beginning Sept. 27.