Eala's woes persist with Swiss tourney exit

MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala continued to struggle in her second straight campaign in Switzerland, absorbing another early boot in the W60 Bellinzona late Wednesday night.

The 17-year-old Filipina, as the No. 15 seed, got a bye in the first-round but could not get the job done in the next stage as she bowed to Romania’s Ilona Georgiana Ghioroaie in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1.

Up against a lower-ranked opponent in WTA No. 404 Ghioroaie, Eala unleashed a strong start and looked headed for a first-set victory at 5-4 before surrendering the next three games.

The 25-year-old Romanian, with 15 pro titles to boast, pounced on that momentum and nearly blanked the Pinay prodigy in the second set en route to the third round of the elite $60,000 tourney.

Eala last week also folded to another Romanian counterpart in Alexandra Ignatik, 6-0, 6-2, in the first round of the W60 Chiasso. With Czech partner Barbora Palicova, Eala bowed out early in the doubles’ first round as well.

Her string of shallow runs thus far has dragged her 32 notches below in the WTA rankings this week at No. 257 now from No. 215.

Eala’s career-high rank was at No. 214 and maintained a position around it all year long before this series of early eliminations as she prepares for a return to the prestigious French Open.

This year’s Roland Garros is set on May 28 to June 11 with Eala eyeing a deep campaign at last in the pro division after winning the junior doubles Grand Slam in 2021.

A scholar of the Rafael Nadal Academy in Spain, Eala also won the junior doubles crown in the 2020 Australian Open and the junior singles title in the US Open last year to become the country’s first Filipina junior Grand Slam champion.