AMID roaring cheers and groans, Alex Eala bowed out in the quarterfinals of the Philippine Women's Open on Wednesday night.
Ending the Filipina’s ambitious run in the first-ever WTA tournament in Manila, Colombia’s Camila Osorio proved steadier in the big points to pull off a 6-4, 6-4 win over the higher-ranked Eala in an hour and 28 minutes.
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Seeded second, the 20-year old Eala fought the lower-ranked (No. 84) Colombian on even terms throughout. But her inability to hold serve and a couple of misjudgements allowed Osorio to win their first-ever career meeting.
Amid pleas of 'Let's Go, Alex' from the sellout crowd at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center, Osorio surged ahead, 5-4, by breaking Eala for the fifth time in the second set then ended the match with a crosscourt passing shot that the Filipina netted.
“Sayang, hindi pumasa ngayon sa level pero ang importante nandito ako sa Manila, sa Pilipinas, nandito ang WTA," said Eala, sticking to the positives as she addressed the crowd one last time on center court.
After the match, Osorio paused to acknowledge the lively Filipino crowd, unfazed by their allegiance to the home favorite.
“I love the energy. Even though it wasn’t for me, I still love it,” said the former world No. 33 as she marched on to a semifinal face-off against Argentina’s Solana Sierra on Friday.
As for Eala, the trailblazing Filipino rising star is set to leave on Saturday to compete in her next tournament at the WTA500 in Abu Dhabi.
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