By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala crashed out in the prestigious Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open after yielding to a more experienced rival in the opening round on Tuesday, Feb. 6, in the United Arab Emirates.
Eala, who earned a wildcard berth in this WTA500 (Women’s Tennis Association) event, fell short in a tightly-fought opening set before completely losing steam in the second to succumb to Poland’s Magda Linette, 7-6 (4), 6-1.
Both Eala and Linette held their serves in the first set to arrange a tiebreaker where the world No. 55 Polish player cruised to a 4-0 lead.
The 18-year-old Filipina sensation fought back by winning five straight points to close the gap at 5-all, but Linette’s experience in the crunch proved evident as she claimed the next three points to grab the set victory.
They broke each other’s serve at the start of the second set, with the 31-year-old Linette sustaining her momentum by dominating the next five games to win the match.
A victory for Eala against Linette could have arranged her a second round meeting with Brazilian sixth seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, who escaped past Wang Xiyu of China, 6-2, 7-6 (4).
The tournament was Eala’s second WTA event this year after competing in the Canberra WTA125 in Australia last January where she lost in the first round of the qualifying matches.
Eala’s early exit was not expected after reaching the semis round of the W50 Indore International Tennis Federation (ITF) in India a few days back.
