MANILA – Filipina netter Alex Eala’s quest for a second consecutive championship was halted after bowing in the quarterfinals of the Rafael Nadal Academy International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tennis Tournament’s second leg in Mallorca, Spain.
The 15-year-old Eala, which captured her first ITF crown in the first leg last week, lost to Swiss netter Ylena In-Albon in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3, on Friday evening.
Eala – Juniors World No. 3 – struggled to keep pace with the attacks of In-Albon, who ranked 432 in the World Tennis Association (WTA) Singles rankings.
Eala showed a gallant effort to turn things around in the second set but her more experienced Swiss counterpart was able to sustain her momentum throughout the match.
Prior to the defeat, Eala cruised to a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over number 2 seed Mirjam Bjorklund of Sweden in the opening round followed by a 6-2, 6-3 domination over Spain’s Alba Carrillo Marin.
After the loss, Eala will be staying in Manacor as she will join the third leg of the $15,000 tournament, which will be staged from Feb. 1 to 7.
Earlier this week, Eala bagged her maiden professional tennis championship in the first leg of the W15 Manacor by defeating 28-year-old Spanish Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers in the finals./PN
