Alex Eala fell in straight sets against Magda Linette in the Nottingham Open Round of 32, but not before pestering the world no. 31 into a test of patience and endurance.
Alex Eala held her ground before suffering a first round exit in the main draw of the Nottingham Open, falling against Magda Linette in two sets, 4-6, 3-6, on Tuesday (PH time).
That is, Eala tirelessly frustrated Linette in the second set, particularly in the final game when she saved a total of four match points that delayed Linette’s inevitable victory over the less experienced Filipina.
Not only that, Eala held advantage at one point, after saving the second match point and threatened to get within a game, 4-5, against the world no. 31 player.
Earlier in set 2, she also dragged Linette into multiple games that extended into deuces. Eala did the same during set 1, where four games got extended.
Despite Eala pestering Linette, the latter’s experience managed to pull her ahead during the games when the two players were neck-and-neck.
Of matches that extended into deuces, Linette won all of them — signaling the need for Eala to be more assertive in tightly-contested matches against higher-ranked opponents.
Still, the Filipina showed mettle against Linette, a holder of three titles in the WTA Tour.
Eala qualified to the main draw against the Pole hitter after plowing through qualifiers at the WTA 250 event, winning back-to-back matches.