Alex Eala in action during W80 Poitiers in France. –ALEX EALA FACEBOOK /
MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala reached the final round of the W80 Poitiers as she lost to Ysaline Bonaventure of Belgium, 1-6, 6-3, 3-6, in Saturday’s thrilling semi-final in France.
The 17-year-old Filipino was able to recover from a grueling loss in the first set and prevent a 1-2 start in the second by winning three games in a row to have a 4-2 advantage to tie must decide before the Belgians.
However, 28-year-old Bonaventure, currently No. 105 of the Women’s Tennis Association, displayed powerful composure as she fended off her younger foe in their neck and neck bout in the match. decided to go to the pinnacle of victory, 5 -2.
Eala hit the veteran keeper in the eighth game to cut the deficit but Bonaventure outplayed the Filipino prodigy in the extended ninth game, winning break points to book tickets to the final after a protracted rivalry one hour 47 minutes.
Bonaventure will face either Petra Marcinko or Clara Tauson, who will contest the ticket to the final final, for W80 Poitiers glory.
This is still Eala’s best in her second $80,000 contest, surpassing her previous quarterfinal elimination in W80 Rancho Santa Fe.
Academy scholar Rafael Nadal, WTA number 248, made it through the qualifiers before advancing to the main draw, where she overcame Jessika Ponchet of France, 6-2-, 5-7, 7-6 (6 ) in the first round and defeated Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia, 6-4, 6-3, in the round of 16.
Eala beat Croatia’s Ana Konjuh, 6-2, 6-3, in Friday’s quarterfinal in France before Bonaventure asserted her mastery against the Philippine ace, whom she also eliminated in second round of W60 Hamburg with a 6-4, 6-0 win last week.
A third professional crown remains elusive for the US Open women’s singles champion as she last ruled an International Tennis Federation event in W25 Chiang Rai last April – her second title after 2021 W15 Manacor.
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