ALEX Eala had a frustrating return from a brief break early Monday (Manila time), bowing out of the National Bank Open in Montreal, Canada after a two-hour battle against a higher-ranked Czech opponent.
The 20-year-old Filipina, currently ranked No. 69 in the world, did her best to put up a fight in her hard-court return but fell to Marketa Vondrousova, 6-3, 1-6, 2-6, in the round of 128 at the Omnium Banque Nationale Présenté par Rogers.
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The loss put an early end to Eala's fourth WTA 1000-level tournament after the Miami Open, Italian Open, and Madrid Open. The tournament was part of Eala’s buildup for her US Open debut, scheduled at the end of August.
She is expected to join a couple more tournaments including some in Asia.
Eala started strong in her first tournament since returning home for a brief break, taking the first set 6-3 after a series of breaks on both sides. She broke world No. 63 Vondrousova three times and held serve twice to close out the set.
However, momentum shifted in the second as Vondrousova found her rhythm and displayed the form that got her to as high as No. 6 in the world, winning six straight games from 1-1 to take the set 6-1.
In the deciding frame, Vondrousova took early control, going up 2-0 before Eala briefly cut the deficit to 2-3. But the Czech responded with another run, winning the last three games to seal the match.
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