MANILA – Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala ended her impressive run in the 2020 French Open girls’ singles held in Paris, France on Friday, Oct. 9.
The 15-year-old Eala bowed down in the semifinals to No. 3 seed Elsa Jacquemot of the host country, 6-3, 6-2.
Eala began her game strong, but the French player found her rhythm midway through the match.
Jacquemot hit the dagger when she racked up eight straight games to go up 5-2 in the second set.
Nevertheless, it was a historic feat for the 15-year-old Eala as she became the first Filipina to progress in the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament since Felix Barrientos in the 1985 Wimbledon Juniors.
The current juniors’ world No. 4, though, is still on track of clinching the No. 1 ranking with her career performance in the French Open.
The Rafa Nadal Academy scholar already ended her bid in doubles action after an opening round exit with American partner Elvina Kalieva as they suffered an upset loss to Italian pair Lisa Pigato and Eleonora Alvisi.
Last February, Eala also made history in the 2020 Australian Open juniors’ doubles tournament, which she dominated together with Indonesian Priska Nugroho.(With a report from Rappler/PN)
