Alex Eala’s stint at Brazil has come to an end after she lost to fellow Southeast Asian tennis star Janice Tjen from Indonesia in their quarterfinals match in the early morning of September 13.
Couldn’t Capitalize With The Early Lead in Set 1
Eala, seeded third and ranked world No. 61, looked sharp at the start, racing to a commanding 3-0 lead in just nine minutes behind consistent serving and early winners.
But her momentum quickly unraveled as unforced errors crept in. Tjen, ranked world No. 130, seized the opportunity to claw back, leveling at 3-3.
The Indonesian stayed composed under pressure, breaking Eala’s serve late in the set and finishing with a flurry of precise forehands and deep groundstrokes. She completed the turnaround in 38 minutes despite Eala briefly regaining the lead at 4-3.
FINAL SCORE OF SET 1: 6-4
Determined to reset, Eala managed to hold serve in the opening game of the second set and even reached a break point at 1-2 for a chance to tie things up.
But her return clipped the net, allowing Tjen to hold firm with an ace and a volley winner for a 3-1 cushion.
From there, Tjen dominated with her powerful forehand, firing 23 winners to just four from Eala. She reeled off five straight games, overwhelming the Filipina and racing to a 5-1 lead before closing out the match. Eala managed to save a match point, but the Indonesian sealed the upset with back-to-back forehand winners.
FINAL SCORE OF SET 2: 6-1
More History for the Indonesian Tennis Star
The 23-year-old Tjen is now the first Indonesian to reach a WTA semifinal since Angelique Widjaja in 2002. She advances to face Great Britain’s Francesca Jones next.
“It feels unbelievable. I was focusing on every point. We know Alex Eala can come back anytime,” said Tjen after the win.
She credited her serving for the breakthrough: “We’ve been working on it so it’s nice that it’s coming along.”
She added: “I’m pretty happy with how I played today. Playing against Alex Eala, we all know that she can come back any time. I’m just trying to focus and stay in it up until the end.”
Janice just accomplished more historical feats this 2025 in relation to her previous US Open 2025 achievements and in this tournament.
Alex “Filiprima” Eala
Prior to her QF loss, Alex was able to acknowledge what Brazilian tennis fans have called her during the SP Open stint.
Brazilian supporters have fondly nicknamed Alex Eala “Filiprima,” a mix of “Filipina” and the Portuguese word prima (female cousin). In Brazilian culture, calling someone prima is an endearing way of treating them like family.
By using the term, fans have welcomed Eala as one of their own, building a cultural connection between Brazil and the Philippines.
Up Next: Filiprima Goes to Jingshan Open in China
Filiprima now goes to the hardcourts of the WTA 125 Jingshan Open in China, which is scheduled to run from September 22 to 28.
