Alex Eala bows out of first ITF W100 semis after 4th straight 3-setter

MANILA, Philippines – For the fourth straight match, Alex Eala went the distance at the Peña Vitorian Tenis Club, but this time ultimately succumbed to third-seeded French ace Jessika Ponchet, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, in a breakthrough semifinal stint on Saturday, July 22.

Although the 18-year-old phenom rolled to a 3-0 lead in the first set for the eventual cruising finish, the world No. 137 Ponchet rallied back in the second, climbing back from another 3-0 Eala start to roll to a 5-3 edge and eventually powering through to force a decider, 6-4.

Ponchet then claimed control of the match in the third, outhustling the 258th-ranked Eala to a blowout finish to arrange a final against Ukraine’s Daria Snigur.

With the win, Ponchet claimed her third win in four meetings against Eala, with the latter only winning her first encounter with the French star at the W80 Poities in France last October.

Despite being ousted from title contention, Eala still got her best finish yet in an International Tennis Federation (ITF) W100 event and proved her mettle with three straight three-set wins to get to the semifinals.

“Very positive week here in Vitoria! So happy to have reached the semifinals in this 100k,” an upbeat Eala wrote on social media after bowing out.

Prior to this breakthrough, Eala’s previous best ITF W100 outing was a second-round exit in the W100 Grodzisk Mazowiecki in Poland last year. – Rappler.com