Alex Eala falls to Spanish bet, finishes second in W60 Madrid

Alex Eala failed to sustain her strong second set start to ultimately succumb to Marina Bassols Ribera, 6-4, 7-5, in the finals of W60 Madrid competition on Sunday in Madrid, Spain.

After falling short in the opening set, Eala gort her momentum back in the second, building a huge 5-0 lead over the Spanish netter. But the hometown bet retaliated, answering with a furious 5-0 run to even the set at 5-5.

In games 11 and 12, the 22-year-old Ribera further asserted her dominance over the 17-year-old Eala as the Filipina bet failed to force a decider, 7-5.

Earlier in the opening frame, the Filipina teen tennis sensation was able to tie things up at 4-4 but Ribera won two consecutive games to close out the set, 6-4.

Eala previously pulled off upsets over seeded foes, making quick work of Canada's Katherine Sebov, 6-2, 6-1, in their semifinal showdown on Saturday to arrange a finals duel across Ribera.

The loss denied Eala her shot at a first W60 pro title as she already ruled a W15 tournament in Manacor, Spain in 2021 and the W25 event in Chiang Rai, Thailand last April.

—JMB, GMA News