MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala fell short in her bid to dethrone defending champion Rebecca Marino of Canada, suffering a 6-1, 0-6, 6(4)-7 loss in the Women’s Tennis Association 125 Lexus Ilkley Open quarterfinal on Friday (Manila time).
Eala fought her way back from a 4-5 deficit in the deciding third set and erased the Canadian’s 40-0 lead in the ninth game on her way to forcing a tiebreaker.
The 20-year-old Filipino star started the tiebreaker with a 2-1 lead but lost steam with Marino scoring five straight points to reach match point, 6-2, before Eala saved two points
However, the reigning champion closed out the match to eliminate Eala and advance to the Final Four.
Eala couldn’t translate her hot start as she got blanked by the World No. 107 Marino in the second set and fell to a 1-3 deficit in the third. She got her act together midway to the third and led, 4-3, then went into a toe-to-toe end game against the 34-year-old Marino.
