Eala falls vs Aussie foe to exit Ningbo Open

MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala suffered an early exit from the Ningbo Open after getting swept by Australia’s Priscilla Hon, 4-6, 3-6, in the first round of qualifiers Saturday in China.

It was simply a dominant win for Hon, who punched in nine aces against the 11th-ranked Eala.

The Filipina also committed eight double faults and allowed 69 total points won for the Australian.

Hon won 41 service points compared to Eala’s 30.

Eala's defeat came a few days after the tennister bowed out of the Wuhan Open in the round of 64.

Eala yielded in the Wuhan Open, 3-6, 1-6, against the 29-year-old Katerina Siniakova, who is ranked first in the world in doubles and 37th in the world in singles.

The 19-year-old Asian Games bronze medalist will compete in the Ningbo Open doubles’ competition. She is teamed up with Liang En-shuo, and will face Ekaterina Alexandrova and Siniakova on Monday.