Alex Eala falls to Swiss foe in QF round, exits US Open girls singles tilt

The hunt for an elusive first Grand Slam singles title will have to continue another time for Alex Eala.

The Filipina tennis sensation fell to Sebastianna Scilipoti of Switzerland, 5-7, 3-6 in the rain-delayed quarterfinals round of the 2021 US Open girls singles at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on Friday (Manila time).

The match, which was supposed to take place at 1 a.m. but was pushed back seven hours late due to heavy downpour, lasted for one hour and 42 minutes with Eala committing nine double faults against the two of Scilipoti.

After getting a 4-3 lead in the first set, Eala lost two consecutive games before winning again in the 10th game for a deadlock, 5-5. Scilipoti, though, maintained her strong serves to seal the opening frame.

Eala struggled to find her momentum in the second set with an early disadvantage at 3-5. She could not recover from that point on as Scilipoti cruised to the semis where she will face Kristina Dmitruk of Belarus.

Dmitruk won the 2021 Wimbledon girls doubles title with Russian partner Diana Shnaider.

Eala, a Rafa Nadal Academy scholar, 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 will still compete in the doubles quarterfinals where she teamed up with Hanne Vandewinkel of Belgium.

—JMB, GMA News