ALEX Eala’s clay court comeback warm-up ended on Thursday night (Manila time) as she bowed out of the WTA 125 Oeiras, falling to Hungary’s Panna Udvardy, 6-7 (4-7), 4-6, in the Round of 16 in Portugal.
The 19-year-old Filipina ace, who entered the tournament as the top seed—a first in her young pro career—had a slow start against the 26-year-old Udvardy.
Eala trailed throughout the opening set, which saw them tied three times before the Hungarian edged her out in the tiebreak.
Eala responded with a stronger start in the second set, taking an early 2-0 lead before Udvardy managed to get on the board.
The two then exchanged games until Udvardy pulled ahead at 4-all, winning the next two games to seal the match in straight sets.
The loss also came on the heels of Eala’s early exit in the doubles competition last Wednesday, officially ending her Oeiras campaign—her first clay court tournament of the 2025 season.
Eala is set to compete next at the WTA 1000 Madrid from April 21 to 27, a tournament on par with the Miami Open, where she recently turned heads with upset wins over top players like Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys.
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