World no. 2 Alex Eala of the Philippines failed to advance in the junior girls’ division of the 2021 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York on Friday.
The 16-year-old Filipino was the third and last seeded player to bow out of contention, after she fell to unseeded Sebastianna Scilipoti of Switzerland, 5-7, 3-6.
Fatigue took its toll from the three matches that Eala played in just 28 hours, as she needed a medical timeout before the start of the eighth game in the second set.
Scilipoti took over when Eala began slowing down after taking a 4-3 lead in the first set.
The Swiss player eventually rallied and weathered Eala’s strong resistance in the next set and prevailed, taking on Kristina Dmitruk of Belarus in the semifinals next.
The match was supposed to take place at 1 a.m. but was pushed back seven hours later due to heavy downpour.
It lasted for one hour and 42 minutes with the Filipina committing nine double faults against the two of her foe.
A Rafa Nadal Academy scholar, Eala currently has two Grand Slam titles under her belt after ruling the girls’ doubles event of both the 2020 Australian Open and the 2021 French Open.
Eala, however, will still compete in the doubles’ quarterfinals with Hanne Vandewinkel of Belgium.
