The law of averages, and perhaps a bit of fatigue, finally caught up with Alex Eala.
The 25th-seeded Eala could not extend her winning streak to eight matches, falling to 12th seed and Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in straight sets, 6-4, 6-0, on Monday morning (Manila time) in the fourth round of the WTA 1000 Canadian Open.
Eala tried her best not to disappoint the throng of Filipino fans who once again packed the 12,500-capacity Stadium Court of Sobeys Stadium. But she simply could not get going against the Swiss former world No. 4, who was looking to relive the magic of 2015, when she won this same tournament for the first of her two WTA 1000 titles.
Playing the last match of the day for the fourth straight time, Eala found herself playing catch-up throughout the opening set, which started on a promising note after she comfortably held serve in the first game.
Even after losing her next two service games, Eala responded by breaking Bencic twice to stay level with the Swiss until the eighth game at 4-4. But the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist showed her veteran poise, first by holding serve in the ninth game. She then broke Eala for the third time in the 10th to take the opening set.
The second set was all Bencic.
The 29-year-old Swiss No. 1 showed no let-up, blanking Eala to bring the Filipina’s impressive run to an end after one hour and 13 minutes.
Eala will finally have a few days to rest and recover before plunging back into action at the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open, which runs from August 13 to 23.
