At A Glance
- Alex Eala roared to a strong start but lost her steam and succumbed to reigning champion Rebecca Marino of Canada, 6-1, 0-6, 6-7 (7), in the quarterfinal round of the Lexus Ilkley Open in Great Britain Friday, June 13.
Alex Eala (WTA)
Alex Eala roared to a strong start but lost her steam and succumbed to reigning champion Rebecca Marino of Canada, 6-1, 0-6, 6-7 (7), in the quarterfinal round of the Lexus Ilkley Open in Great Britain Friday, June 13.
The 20-year-old Eala dominated early on then all of a sudden couldn’t find her touches in the following set, with Marino shutting the door in the third despite the gallant stand of the Filipino ace.
Marino caught Eala in the tiebreaker after the latter momentarily held the lead at 2-1, delivering power hits and showing much composure to clinch the semifinal ticket.
The 34-year-old Marino now awaits her semis foe between British Amarni Banks and Swiss Celine Naef who are duking it out in their quarters showdown as of posting time.
Before her elimination, Eala essayed a 7-6 (4), 6-3 triumph over Fil-Australian Lizzette Cabrera for her opening assignment,
then she followed it up with a sweet 6-1, 6-2 win over Swiss qualifier Valentina Ryser.
It was a better outing this time for the two-time Asian Games bronze medalist after a quick exit in the Birmingham Open where she yielded to Czech Linda Fruhvirtova, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-1, earlier this month.
Eala’s stint on grass courts is part of her buildup for the upcoming Wimbledon Open – slated June 30 to July 13 – where she is set for her main draw debut in the most prestigious and oldest Grand Slam tournament in the world.