Alex Eala faces yet another early elimination, this time in the hands of the veteran Magda Linette in their Round of 32 match in Nottingham Open last night, June 17.
Hot Start but a Cold Finish
Eala opened the contest in commanding fashion, racing to a 3-0 lead within the first seven minutes, taking advantage of a slow start from the seasoned Polish opponent.
But the 33 year old Linette, who previously was a semifinalist in the 2023 Australian Open with consistent Grand Slam experience, gradually found her footing. She won five straight games to flip the score to 5-3, displaying her composure and tactical edge. Eala managed to steal one more game to narrow the gap, but Linette held her serve in the 10th game to clinch the first set.
Though the world ranked no. 77 Eala had break point opportunities in each of Linette’s final three service games of the opening set; she couldn’t convert, underlining how tightly contested the set had been.
Final Score of Set 1: 6-4
In the second frame, both players traded early holds to remain level at 2-all. But the word ranked no. 31 of Poland stepped up at the crucial moments, breaking Eala’s serve in the fifth and seventh games to surge ahead 5-2.
The 20 year old pride of Quezon City, Philippines showed signs of a late comeback by breaking Linette in the eighth game, but pressure mounted as she served to stay in the match. She saved four match points in a gutsy effort, but Linette eventually sealed the win on her fifth opportunity.
Final Score of Set 2: 6-3
Magda Linette successfully advances in the Round of 16 as she will face Britain’s Mingge Xu while Alex Eala exits the tournament.
Main Draw of Wimbledon Open Secured
Despite the frustrating loss, Dyan Castillejo of ABS CBN News confirmed that Eala is already included in the Main Draw of Wimbledon Open based on her recent post from her Facebook Account.
Credits: Screenshot from Dyan Castillejo’s Facebook post
Now the question is, will Alex join one more grass tournament before playing in Wimbledon Open on June 30? Or will she get some rest before participating in the main event?
