Alex Eala still cannot seem to overcome players from the Czech Republic.
The 31st-seeded Filipina was overpowered by 14th-seeded Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic, who won in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0, on Wednesday afternoon (Manila time) in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, United States.
Playing at Stadium 1, which earlier featured world No. 2 Jannik Sinner defeating Joao Fonseca, Eala struggled to redirect her opponent’s power, as Noskova’s size and strength proved decisive.
Noskova set the tone early, taking a 2-0 lead in the first set. Eala tried to fight back and drew close at 2-3, but the Czech denied any chance of a comeback, closing the set in just 32 minutes.
The second set saw Noskova accelerate her dominance, blanking Eala with a 6-0 “bagel” to end the match in 55 minutes.
This was the first meeting between the 20-year-old Eala and 21-year-old Noskova on the professional tour, though the two had crossed paths twice in the juniors.
Eala defeated Noskova in the finals of the 2018 Les Petits As – Le Mondial Lacoste, widely regarded as the most prestigious Under-14 tournament in the world.
Two years later, Eala again got the better of Noskova in the girls’ singles quarterfinals of the French Open. Noskova finally earned her revenge in Indian Wells.
With this result, Eala’s record against Czech players drops to 0-11.
Noskova will move on to the quarterfinals of the tournament, often called the “fifth Grand Slam,” to face giant-killing Australian qualifier Talia Gibson, who has already defeated three top-20 players: 11th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, 17th seed Clara Tauson, and 7th seed Jasmine Paolini.
Eala will have a week to recover before returning to action at the WTA 1000 Miami Open, which begins on March 17.
