By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala was imbued with a sense of pride and fulfillment after her stunning win over world No. 41 Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine on Wednesday that she was so determined to follow it up.
She almost did.
Eala put up another gallant stand but fell short this time, absorbing a 6-3, 6-7 (8), 6-4 loss to world No. 30 Sorana Cirstea Thursday, April 25, in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain.
The 18-year-old Eala was looking great against her 27th-seeded Romanian rival after claiming the action-packed second set that was decided via a tiebreak.
But she misfired in the critical point of the match that all but tilted the balance in Cirstea’s favor.
Still, it was an impressive showing for Eala as Cirstea, a two-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist, was the highest-ranked player the Filipino tennis sensation has ever faced in her career.
Eala made a noise in the Women’s Tennis Association event after claiming the scalp of Tsurenko 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, a feat that made everybody’s heart swelling with pride.
It was Eala’s first-ever first-round victory in a WTA 1000 tournament.
A win against Cirstea could have set her up a potential dream match with world No. Iga Swiatek of Poland, who is battling China’s Wang Xiyu at presstime.
Ranked No. 169 in the world, Eala is expected to improve her ranking following her performance in this tournament.
After breaking each other’s serves in the first three games of the third set, Eala raced to a 3-1 advantage after holding her serve in the fourth game.
But Cirstea’s wide experience became prevalent in the ensuing games as the 34-year-old claimed the next three to grab the 4-3 lead.
Eala fought back with a love game to tie it at 4-all, but the Romanian was quick to retaliate, holding back her own serve in the ninth game before breaking Eala’s serve with a love game to seal the match victory.
