Alex Eala fades after fiery start, loses to reigning champ Krejcikova

July 2 ------ WHEN Alex Eala stepped onto Centre Court for the first time in her Wimbledon debut, she wasn’t just chasing a win — she was chasing history. History will have to wait a little longer, though. The 20-year-old Filipina came out firing, taking the opening set 6-3 against defending champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic. But the momentum shifted quickly, and Krejcikova clawed her way back, winning the next two sets to escape with a hard-fought 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory in London.

Despite the loss, Eala delivered a standout performance, giving the reigning champion a big scare in the two-hour-and-10-minute three-setter in her first-ever grand slam main draw appearance on grass - and at Centre Court at that. Krejcikova, seeded 17th in her title-retention campaign and ranked No. 16 in the world, gallant fought back from the opening-set loss while nursing a thigh injury that forced her to withdraw from the Eastbourne Open semifinals just days earlier.

While the Czech now moves to the second round against either Caroline Dolehide of the US and Arantxa Rus of Netherlands, Eala shifts her focus to the run-up to the year's final grand slam at the US Open in August. Despite the loss, the Filipina can draw a lot of confidence from a grass-court campaign that saw her reach the final of the WTA 250 Eastbourne Open and reach a new career high of No. 56 in the world rankings. After one set, at least, Eala looked ready to make more history.

The Filipina found her rhythm early, stringing together four straight games for a commanding 5-2 lead, aided by five Krejcikova double faults. Although the Czech held once more, Eala closed out the set in 49 minutes. The second set told a different story, though. Krejcikova regrouped and raced to a 5-0 lead. The Filipina held serve in the sixth game and again in the seventh to stem the tide for a while at 5-2, but Krejcikova closed it out to force a decider. The final set followed the same pattern for Krejcikova, who hit more winners, 43-24, and points at the net, 8 to 2. The Czech had more double faults than Eala, 6-1, but made up for it with her six aces to Eala's one.

Source: spin.ph

Editor's note:

IT'S official: Alex Eala has soared to a new career-high ranking of world No. 56 as the latest WTA standings. The 20-year-old Filipina made one of the biggest leaps this week, climbing 18 spots from No. 74 following her remarkable run to the final of the WTA 250 Eastbourne Open. This new ranking surpasses her previous best of No. 69 and places her just three spots behind four-time grand slam champion and former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka, who currently sits at No. 53.