The Filipina netter won the first set, but Alex Eala couldn’t complete the emphatic upset over Wimbledon defending champion Barbora Krejcíková.
Alex Eala could not sustain her fine form even after taking the opening set in her debut in Wimbledon, falling to defending champion Barbora Krejcíková in three sets, 6-3, 2-6, 1-6, in the first round on Tuesday evening, Manila time.
Eala, fresh off of a finals appearance at Eastbourne, looked poised for another emphatic upset against the world no. 16 Krejcíková when she exploited the latter’s errant service game in Set 1, where it seemed her nagging back injury was bothering the Czech.
But the 20-year-old — playing in just her second main draw in a Grand Slam — faltered in the next two sets by a more aggressive Krejcíková.
Krejcíková seemed to sensed the urgency after Eala’s opening set win and she adjusted her game accordingly, attacking more on Eala’s forehand which forced Eala into crucial errors.
In Set 2, Krejcíková zoomed to a 5-0 lead over Eala and looked in total control of the match.
While Eala produced some sort of momentum with back-to-back game wins that had her on the board, 2-5, it was ultimately Krejcíková’s improved returns that doomed Eala when she saw her serve broken in the eighth game to force the deciding third set.
With Krejcíková breathing new life into her title defense, the Czech brimmed with confidence against a seemingly fatigued Eala who had played seven matches the week before en route to her final in Eastbourne.
Despite Eala’s best efforts, Krejcíková was able to put her foe at arms length early in Set 3, zooming to a 3-0 lead.
Though the Filipina made it interesting with flashes of brilliance in the final set, Krejcíková’s experience shone through against the younger Eala.
Krejcíková thus improves to 5-0 in first round matches in Wimbledon.
Eala, for her part, shifts her focus on women’s doubles where she joins forces with German Eva Lys. They play the first round against Olga Danilovic and Anastasia Potapova on Wednesday, July 2.