Alex Eala could not complete an upset bid, bowing out against fifth-seed Andrea Lazaro Garcia of Spain, 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, in the first round of the 2021 ITF World Women’s Tennis Tour at the Ciudad Raqueta, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday afternoon (Manila time).
Lazaro Garcia currently ranks 272 by the WTA.
Eala’s opponent needed just a solitary break advantage in the last two sets to deny the upset of the Filipino teenager, who ranks at 629.
Eala faltered on her final service game, something that hadn’t happened in her previous service games of the set.
The Spaniard capitalized on the shots returned by Eala, forcing the latter to commit mistakes. Lazaro Garcia eventually took the deciding set and the match with the set’s only break.
Eala earlier cruised through in the opening round despite firing off four double faults, as she leaned on her well-placed returns. She also capitalized on the early struggles of Lazaro Garcia on the serve to take the set advantage.
The Filipino then took this momentum into the second set and even took the lead at 3-1.
From there, Lazaro Garcia took over and consolidated a break of her own with a great service game for a 3-all deadlock. She then allowed Eala just one more service hold, before taking the set’s last three games. That then forced the decider.
Eala last won a singles match on May 19. She took the first round match at Platja D’Aro, also in Spain.
The newly crowned 2019 French Open girls doubles champion will try to bounce back in the second round of the doubles tournament here. She plays with new partner in juniors top player Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva later in the day.
