By CARLO ANOLIN
Filipino tennis sensation Alex Eala suffered a crushing 0-6, 4-6 defeat to unseeded Polish Maja Chwalinska Friday night, ending her title bid in the quarterfinals of the W25 Grenoble in France.
Tied at 4-4 in the second set, Chwalinska showed who’s boss in the end game after grabbing two straight games en route to an easy win.
The game was over after just one hour and 16 minutes as the Polish netter proved too much for the 15-year-old Eala.
The loss was heartbreaking for Eala as she was blanked in a set for the first time in years two days before the Valentine’s Day.
Eala had the chance to turn the match around earlier after recovering from a 0-2 slump with refined touch in the service area, winning three consecutive games for a 3-2 lead but Chwalinska was not to be dcenied.
Chwalinska, ranked No. 220 in the Women’s Tennis Association, swept Eala in the first set using efficient service and capitalizing on the Filipino’s three double faults.
The 19-year-old netter from Poland also scored all three break points in the opening canto.
Eala, who plays in her second $25,000 tournament as a junior exempt, has taken down Laura-Iona Paar of Romania and Cristina Bucsa of Spain before the quarterfinal loss
The No. 3 ITF Junior netter had a successful three-leg campaign in the W15 Manacor in Spain where she won her first pro title in January before reaching the quarterfinal in both second and third leg early this month.
Chwalinksa, for her part, will face the winner of the ongoing match between Clara Tauson of Denmark and Maryna Zanevska of Belgium.
