Filipina tennis ace and Globe ambassador Alex Eala saw her run in the W25 Madrid come to an end after she and partner Victoria Jimenez Kasintsevas lost to American Ashley Lahey and Australian Olivia Tjandramulia, 5-7, 6-4, 6-10, in the doubles competition of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tennis Tour W25 Madrid at the Ciudad de la Raqueta in Spain.
The defeat ended a tough day for the talented 16-year old, who earlier in the day, lost to fifth-seed Andrea Lazaro Garcia of Spain, 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, to bow out of the singles competition.
In the doubles contest, the pair of Eala and Jimenez Kasintsevas got off to a fantastic start as they led 3-0. However, the Lahey-Tjandramulia found their bearings and won the next four games to surge in front, 4-3. The game ended up being tied at 5-5 but Lahey and Tjandramulia broke Eala and Jimenez Kasintsevas’s serve to go up, 6-5, and then, held their serve to win the first set, 7-5.
Eala and Jimenez Kasintsevas found themselves in trouble in the second set as they trailed, 1-3. Fortunately, they found their second wind and won four straight games, capped off by a break of their opponents’ serve to move in front, 5-3. The Lahey-Tjandramulia retaliated with a break of their own to stay alive, 4-5, but Eala and Jimenez Kasintsevas answered with another break to capture the second set, 6-4, and force a third set decider
In the race to 10 affair, the Eala-Jimenez Kasintsevas immediately went to a 3-0 lead but could not sustain their momentum, committing two double faults to trail, 4-5. The Lahey-Tjandramulia duo eventually cruised to the 10-6 win in the third set to secure the match and a place in the semifinals.
Earlier in the day in the singles tourney, it seemed as if Eala was headed towards an easy victory as she took the first set in dominant fashion, breaking her opponent’s serve twice to come away with a 6-2 win. However, the 26-year old Lazaro Garcia, who is ranked no. 272 in the Women’s Tennis Association singles rankings, did not fold and took control late in the second set.
With Lazaro Garcia up, 5-4, Eala had the serve and was bent on tying the set as she led, 40-0. However, Lazaro Garcia persevered and eventually broke Eala’s serve to win the second set, 6-4, and send the game to a deciding third set.
The third set was played on similar terms as the two players played to a 4-4 tie before Lazaro Garcia won the ninth game to surge ahead, 5-4. Lazaro Garcia then put the game away as she scored four straight points to secure the 10th game and the third set 6-4.