Filipino tennis prodigy Alex Eala suffered a defeat at the hands of Russian player Valeria Savinykh in the quarterfinals of the XXVII Open Generali Ciudad de Palma del Rio at the Asociacion de Tenistas Palmenos Polideportivo in Spain on Saturday, July 1 (Manila time).
Eala, who has been making waves in the tennis world, couldn’t maintain her strong start in the first set. Despite initially taking a 4-1 lead, she struggled to maintain her advantage and ultimately lost momentum, allowing Savinykh to take control and secure a spot in the semifinals.
In the opening set, the 18-year-old Eala showed promise, but her performance wavered as the more experienced 32-year-old Savinykh rallied with five consecutive points to claim the set.
Eala briefly took the lead once again in the second set, going up 1-0. However, it proved to be short-lived as Savinykh, a former 99th-ranked player who currently holds the 243rd spot in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings, dominated the remainder of the match.
Savinykh capitalized on Eala’s struggle to hold her serve, breaking her five times throughout the match.
(ai/mnm)
