By MARK REY MONTEJO
Alex Eala threw everything she had but American-Croatian Bernarda Pera was just too clever and too hot to handle.
And that led to Eala’s 6-0, 6-3 defeat in the main round of the 2024 Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Guangzhou Open on Tuesday, Oct. 22, in China.
After being bludgeoned by the former world No. 27 in the first frame, Eala, 19, managed to fight back in the second set with flashes of brilliance.
Things appeared rosy for Eala when tied the score at 3-3.
Pera, however, was not yet finished with her show as she began to reassert her might, coming through with whistling shots to finally take the fight out of the Filipina ace.
Prior to her defeat, the double Asiad bronze medalist dismantled hometown bet Gao Xinyu (6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-2) and Russia’s Elena Pridankina (6-2, 6-2) to earn her spot in the main draw.
Eala was also eliminated early in the WTA1000 Ningbo and WTA250 Wuhan Open also in China.
