Alex Eala’s campaign at the WTA 1000 Qatar TotalEnergies Open was cut short after a loss to Tereza Valentova.
Alex Eala could not recover from losing an hour-long opening set as she skidded to a loss, 6(6)-7, 1-6, against World No. 44 Tereza Valentova in the Round of 64 of the Qatar Open in Doha on Monday evening (Manila time).
Eala clawed back from a 0-2 deficit early in the first set to lead, 6-5, late in the set.
But Valentova, who had beaten Eala in their first meeting last year at the Japan Women’s Open, kept herself afloat by holding her serve in the 12th game.
In the tiebreak, the Czech player jumped the gun on Eala, reaching set point, 6-3.
Though Eala saved three set points and tied the match at 6-all, she ultimately fell short of the comeback and fell behind, 6(6)-7, after an hour and two minutes of play.
The narrow loss looked to dampen Eala’s spirits as she ended up getting dominated in the second set, 1-6.
Eala thus fails to move on in her first WTA 1000 tournament of the year where she was granted a wild card entry to the main draw.
The 20-year-old is currently listed in the qualifying draw of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships which begins next week.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.