YET ANOTHER pro effort of Filipina ace Alex Eala was cut short, as the 15-year-old lost to tournament third seed Simona Waltert of Switzerland in a three-setter game, 4-6, 6-2, 5-7.
They faced each other in the first round of the International Tennis Federation’s W15 Manacor on Wednesday night at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain.
Eala mustered a gallant performance in the rematch. At their last faceoff in early March, she defeated Waltert, 6-1, 6-4, during their previous pro series.
Today's game, however, proved too much for the young netter. Eala, who ranks no. 765 in the WTA, lost the first set to the 20-year-old. But she managed to secure the following frame, leading the game 5-1 to force a decider against the Swiss foe, who holds a WTA ranking of 285.
The Filipina ace started the third set strong with a 3-0 run, but Waltert came back and tied the game at 4-4, and eventually took over the tail end of a match that lasted for 2 hours and 44 minutes.
But fret not: Eala, World Juniors No. 3, is still entitled to more pro tournaments this year, an opportunity she gained from the Junior Exempt Program.
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