Alex Eala exits W25 Joue les Tour after loss to Russian foe

Alex Eala ended yet another brief competition stint after falling to Russian foe and good friend Oksana Selekhmeteva in the Round of 16 of the W25 Joue les Tour in France on early Friday (Manila time).

The Filipina teen tennis sensation failed to sustain a strong start to formally bow out of contention with a 6-3, 6-3 loss to the Russian ace whom she partnered with in the past.

Selekhmeteva, who will now face French Audrey Albie in the quarterfinals, was Eala's teammate when the tandem scooped their historic 2021 French Open girls doubles title.

Prior to their second round meeting, Eala had to hurdle two important matches in the qualifying draw where she edged Anna Ozerova of Latvia, 6-0, 6-1, in their clash last Sunday before the Philippine met with Fabienne Gettwart of Germany.

Against the 26-year-old Gettwart, Eala flaunted her dominance anew with a 6-2, 6-0, victory to formally book a main draw ticket.

Eala then outplayed wildcard Jenny Lim of France last Wednesday, 6-1, 6-4, en route to squaring off with Selekhmeteva.

With the loss, the 16-year-old Eala fell short of surpassing her best finish so far this year when she reached the second round of the W60 Grenoble.

—JMB, GMA News