Alex Eala crashes out of Nottingham after falling to Polish foe

June 18 ------ WASTING a strong start, Alex Eala saw her WTA 250 Nottingham Open journey cut short after losing to Poland’s Magda Linette, 4-6, 3-6, in the first round. Eala, world no. 77, opened with a commanding 3-0 lead in just seven minutes but later struggled as world no. 31 Linette found her rhythm in the fourth game, 3-1. Tied at 3-3, Linette took her first lead at 5-3, winning two consecutive games.

Eala, 20, tried to regain momentum, but the 33-year-old Linette showed her experience and control. The second set started with a tighter, see-saw exchange, tied at 2-2, before Linette took over, 3-5, and claimed the remaining games to seal the match, which lasted an hour and 38 minutes.

The Polish standout will next face the winner between home bet Mingge Xu and the USA’s Katie Volynets in the round of 16. Eala had earlier won two qualifying rounds to make it to the main draw. In a span of two weeks, Eala had seen action in three grass court tournaments, with a first-round exit at the Birmingham Classic and a quarterfinal finish at the Ilkley Open. She is set to join more contests of the same surface ahead of the 2025 Wimbledon Grand Slam at the end of June.

Source: spin.ph