Alex Eala falls to defending champion in Ilkley Open quarters

Alex Eala finds herself in a dogfight against Canadian champion Rebecca Marino before missing a chance to claim a semifinal spot

MANILA, Philippines – A dream start in the opening set. A nightmarish second set. A valiant comeback in the third that unfortunately fell short.

Alex Eala went through a roller-coaster of a ride in the quarterfinals but faltered in the end game, falling to defending champion Rebecca Marino of Canada, 1-6, 6-0, 7-6(4), in the WTA 125 Lexus Ilkley Open on Friday, June 13, in the United Kingdom. 

After scoring a breezy 6-1, 6-2 win a day earlier over Valentina Ryser of Switzerland in the second round, the top-seeded Eala found herself in a dogfight against the eighth-seeded Marino at the Show Court 1 of the Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club. 

The 20-year-old Eala trailed 1-3 in the deciding set and looked to be fading, losing 9 out of the last 10 games, including a 6-0 thrashing in the second set.

But the Filipina found her second wind and strung together three straight games to regain the lead for the first time since the opening set. The 34-year-old Marino then showed her veteran smarts, winning the next two games to get back ahead at 5-4.

Facing a 0-40 deficit with Marino serving for the match, Eala displayed poise and composure as she saved 3 match points before eventually breaking Marino to draw level at 5-5. The next two games saw both players dropping serve, sending the match to a tiebreak. 

There would be no repeat of an incredible rally in the tiebreak. From a 2-2 standoff, Marino pulled away and claimed the next 4 points which all but doomed Eala’s hopes for a semifinal berth.

It was a sorry loss for the Filipina youngster who started the match in impressive fashion. After Marino held serve in the very first game, Eala swept the next six games to finish the opening set in just 25 minutes.

But Marino, once ranked 38th in the world and twice named Female Player of the Year by Tennis Canada, showed she can do better as the Canadian bounced back by taking the second set in just 24 minutes. 

Marino will now advance to the final four where she will face 19-year-old qualifier Celine Naef of Switzerland.

Eala, on the other hand, will have some time to lick her wounds and regroup as she continues her preparation for the Wimbledon Championships which is set to begin on June 30.

There are two WTA events scheduled next week and two more in the fourth week of June. Eala’s team has not yet revealed if she will join any of these tournaments, which often serve as warm-ups for the third Grand Slam event of the year. – Rappler.com