Alex Eala’s dream homecoming came to an end.
The Filipina second seed could not mount a comeback against an inspired fifth seed, Camila Osorio, falling 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Philippine Women’s Open presented by Coca-Cola on Thursday at the Center Court of the Felicisimo Ampon Tennis Center.
“Sayang, sayang, hindi nakapasa. It wasn’t for me today, and congratulations to Camila,” said Eala immediately after her match with the feisty and experienced Colombian, who reached the second round of the French Open thrice and US Open twice.
“I didn’t mind the home fans at all, and it was still a tough match. I just played better,” noted Osorio of her first clash with the Filipina in the tournament, serving as the first project of the National Sports Tourism-Inter Agency Committee led by PSC Chairperson Patrick “Pato” Gregorio.
Trouble signs appeared early in the first set, as Osorio broke Eala in the third game to take a 2-1 lead.
Eala responded with a break of her own to level at 3-3, but Osorio seized three of the next four games to claim the opener.
Despite being heavily taped, Eala stayed competitive in the second set. Though she lost her serve three times, she broke back three times to even the score at 4-4.
However, Osorio, delivering near-perfect tennis, forced Eala to move continuously, exploiting her limited mobility.
Known on the pro tour for her ability to scramble and retrieve difficult shots, Eala struggled to match Osorio’s variety and precision, ultimately dropping the last two games and the match.
Osorio will now face Argentina’s Solana Sierra in the semifinals. On the other hand, Eala will take a few days to recover before joining the WTA 500 Mubadala in Abu Dhabi, which starts on Monday.
The other semifinal pairing features Russia’s Tatiana Prozorova against Croatia’s Donna Vekic.
Sierra advanced after surviving a spirited second-set surge from unseeded Lanlana Tararudee of Thailand, winning 6-3, 6-4.
Prozorova, ranked No. 174, overcame 20-year-old Sofia Costoulas of Belgium in a three-set thriller, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Meanwhile, Vekic defeated fellow veteran Zhu Lin, 6-4, 6-3, continuing her strong run on what has become an adopted homecourt.
