By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala absorbed a stunning 7-5, 6-3 loss to Swiss Sebastianna Scilipoti in the quarters of the US Girls Singles Thursday (Friday in Manila).
The second-seeded Eala struggled throughout the one hour, 42 minute match, dropping her serve seven times and committing nine double faults.
What hastened the downfall of the 16-year-old Eala were her 46 unforced errors.
Eala trailed for most parts of the match though she briefly led 4-3 after holding serve in the first set before losing steam.
She held on in the second frame and tied it at 3-all after breaking Scilipoti’s serve, but the Swiss broke back in the seventh game to regain the momentum en route to the match win.
Despite her singles loss, Eala remains in the hunt for a third Grand Slam Girls Doubles title as she and partner Hanne Vandewinkel face Americans Elizabeth Coleman and Madison Sieg in the quarters.
The Filipina-Belgian pair is seeded sixth in the field.
