Alex Eala falls short vs Camila Osorio, exits Philippine Women’s Open

Alexandra “Alex” Eala bowed out of the Philippine Women’s Open after a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Colombia’s Camila Osorio in the quarterfinals on Thursday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

The defeat marked the end of Eala’s campaign in her first professional tournament appearance on home soil.

Eala faced a tough challenge against the former world No. 33, with both players trading games early in the opening set. The Filipina ace held an early 3-2 lead before Osorio won the next three games to pull away. Eala managed to salvaged one more game before Osorio sealed the first set win.

In the second set, the Filipino ace grabbed an early 3-2 lead as well, but Osorio responded with back-to-back games to regain the advantage. Eala managed to level the set at 4-4, but Osorio closed out the match by winning the final two games.

Despite the loss, Eala encouraged Filipino fans to continue supporting the tournament.

“Sayang, hindi pumasa sa level, pero ang importante, nandito ako sa Manila, sa Pilipinas, at nandito ang WTA,” Eala said in a post-game interview.

“Enjoy the rest of the week. I hope you all get inspired and learn to love tennis. I love tennis so much, so I’m lucky to be able to share this experience and journey with all of you.”

Earlier in the tournament, Eala posted convincing wins over Alina Charaeva, 6-1, 6-2, and Himeno Sakatsume, 6-4, 6-0.

Eala is set to travel next to the Middle East, where she will compete in the Abu Dhabi Open after receiving a wild card entry into the main draw.

Osorio, meanwhile, will advance to the semifinals where she will face Argentina's Solana Sierra. In the other bracket, Tatiana Prozorova will go against Donna Vekic.

—GMA Integrated News