Alex Eala exits Qatar Open after falling to Tereza Valentova

February 10 ------ ALEX Eala still failed to crack the code on world no. 48 Tereza Valentova, resulting to her early exit at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open.

The Filipina, 20, once again fell to the Czech netter, dropping a 6(6)–7, 1–6 loss to end her stint in the round of 64 of the WTA 1000 event in Doha. Eala, WTA no. 40, first met the Czech during her Asian swing at the WTA 250 Japan Open and also lost, 1–6, 2–6. This time, she put up a gallant fight that saw the opening set reach a tiebreak.

From 4–4 on, neither blinked, trading holds all the way to the tiebreak. Eala stayed within reach, but Valentova edged it, 7–6(6), to steal the opener. The momentum carried over quickly in the second, with Valentova reeling off five straight games as Eala struggled to reset, managing just one hold before the gap proved too wide. The match lasted one hour and 32 minutes.

Source: spin.ph