ALEX Eala lost steam after gaining a one-set advantage as she failed to make the main draw of the Nottingham Open, falling in her final qualifier match on Sunday night.
Eala, who notched her first pro win on grass surface in her opener at Nottingham, succumbed to Japanese foe Ena Shibahara, 7-6(5), 0-6, 2-6, to fall one victory short of the main draw in the WTA tournament.
The 19-year-old also came close to entering the main draw at the French Open, but struggled on grass in the UK tournament.
After going toe-to-toe with the Japanese hitter in the first set, where she was pushed to a tiebreak after gaining a 6-5 lead in the set, Eala fell flat in the next two cantos.
The Filipina was blanked in the second set as the older Shibahara forced the winner-take-all third set.
There, Eala couldn’t get her rhythm as she fell easily, 2-6, missing out on a Round of 32 matchup against former US Open singles winner Emma Raducanu.
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