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Eala loses in finals of Luxembourg tilt

Sports

Eala loses in finals of Luxembourg tilt

By Kristel Satumbaga-Villar

At A Glance

Alex Eala fell short in her bid to capture her fifth singles pro title after bowing to a more experienced rival in the finals of the Kyotec Open in Petange, Luxembourg on Sunday, Nov. 19.

Alex Eala fell short in her bid to capture her fifth singles pro title after bowing to a more experienced rival in the finals of the Kyotec Open in Petange, Luxembourg on Sunday, Nov. 19.

alex eala afp — Alex Eala falls short of winning her fifth pro singles title against a French rival. (File Photo)

The ninth-seeded Eala yielded to third pick Oceane Dodin of France, 6-1, 7-5, to settle for the runner-up honors in this $40,000 International Tennis Federation (ITF) event, which serves as the Filipina’s last tournament for the season.

After an overwhelming opening frame, the 18-year-old Eala mustered all her might to withstand that hard-serving Dodin but the Frenchwoman was too much to handle.

Dodin actually unloaded 10 aces throughout the match to frustrate Eala’s returns.

Overall, it was a successful season for the Filipina tennis sensation with two ITF titles and two runner-ups.

Her victories came in the W25 Yecla in Spain last May and the W25 Roehampton in Great Britain last August.

Eala also attempted a breakthrough in the doubles where she has yet to win a crown, and came as close as making into the semifinals with different partners four times including in this tournament with Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey.

Outside the pro circuit, Eala also took the spotlight by winning two bronze medals at the 19^th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Eala is expected to improve her current world ranking of 204 following this runner-up finish.

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