Alex Eala couldn’t replicate her stellar outings in the previous rounds of the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships as she fell prey to two-time Grand Slam champ Coco Gauff.
There was no giant-slaying this time for Alex Eala.
The 47th-ranked Eala got overpowered by world No. 4 Coco Gauff, 6-0, 6-2 in their Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships quarterfinal match early Friday, Feb. 20 (Manila time).
Even with the backing of a sizeable crowd at Center Court, the 20-year-old rising star just could not find a way against Gauff as she sprayed errors from her forehand side to give her foe the early break and the momentum in the opener.
Gauff did not waste time in imposing her might over Eala, winning 26 points against the Filipina's 11 in the first set.
The 21-year-old American's dominance spilled over in the second set, roaring to a 4-0 lead until a reenergized Eala finally got on the board, holding serve and breaking back in the next to fan her hopes.
But it was a little too late as Gauff steadied the ship to seal the victory.
Eala thus could not follow up on her impressive wins over world No. 8 Jasmine Paolini and veteran Sorana Cirstea in the earlier rounds.
[RELATED STORY: Calm Eala bests Cirstea, appreciates Pinoy fans: 'Salamat sa pagpupuyat']
Gauff will now head to the semifinals where she will face either 67th-ranked Antonia Ruzic or world No. 9 Elina Svitolina.
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.