THE match may be over, but the fight for Philippine sports is just getting started.
Despite the unexpected early exit, Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala expressed her gratitude and high hopes for the country’s tennis community following this monumental WTA hosting event.
Hometown bet Eala faltered against Colombia’s Camila Osorio, in a tight 4-6, 4-6 loss in the WTA Philippine Women’s Open Quarterfinals Thursday evening, at the roaring Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
Second-seeded Eala got off to a good start as she successfully capitalized on her service game for an early 1-0 advantage, but no. 5 seed Osorio turned things around, catching Eala off guard, which paved the way for a back-to-back game reversal to snatch a 2-1 lead.
With all the momentum on the side of the Colombian netter, Eala struggled to find her rhythm en route to a series of misjudgments, in which Osorio capitalized.
Controlling the pace of the match, 24-year-old Osorio answered every shot that Eala fired, broke a string of Eala’s service, and finished things off with an impressive baseline play that even stunned the home crowd to snatch the first set from the hands of Alex, 4-6.
Fueled by the overwhelming support of the Filipino fans in attendance, Eala clawed her back into the game with her balanced offense-defense mantra, taking the lead 2-3 midway through the second frame, 3-2.
But the former world No. 33 Osorio once again flipped the switch in the nick of time to stop the attacks from the current WTA world no. 49 Eala, eventually sealing the game after another service break point in the 10th game, 4-6.
And in the mix of roaring cheers, regrets, and groans, Eala’s gritty stand against the Colombian opponent and title home bid came to an end.
“Sayang, hindi pumasa ngayon sa level, pero ang importante, nandito ako sa Manila. Nandito ako sa Pilipinas, nandito ako ang WTA., I really hope you guys get inspired and learn to love tennis,” the 20-year-old Quezon City pride.
“I hope it grows because I love tennis so much, and I’m so lucky that I’m able to share this experience and this journey with all of you,” Eala added.
The grind never stops for Alex as she sets her sights on her next WTA tournament. Up next for trailblazing Filipino star is the Middle East, where she will play in the main draw of the WTA 500 Mubadala Abu Dhabi after getting a wildcard. Eala is set to leave on Saturday for the said tournament.