Canadian Open exit leaves Alex Eala 'tired and down,' but not without positives

The exhaustion and disappointment were evident for Alex Eala after her Canadian Open run came to an end, but so was her appreciation for how far she had come.

The Filipina tennis star admitted feeling “tired and down” following her 6-4, 6-0 loss to Belinda Bencic in the Round of 16 on Monday, yet she still walked away from her Toronto debut with silver linings to carry into the next stretch of her hard court season.

"It's always tough, of course, after a loss but like I said, I'm looking back at these past maybe two weeks as a really big positive," Eala said in the post-game press conference.

"I think I've played really well. I've gotten through so many obstacles. Of course, right now, there's that initial kind of just a little tired and down from the match. But I think, I mean, I'm healthy, which is something I'm super grateful for."

It has been a grueling stretch for Eala since returning to action from a nearly three-week break following her Wimbledon campaign.

She first saw action at the Mubadala DC Open, winning five straight games against top caliber players, including top seed and hometown bet Jessica Pegula in the finals, to lift her first-ever WTA Tour trophy.

She quickly shifted her focus to the Canadian Open just a few days after and had to fend off Americans Alycia Parks and Caty McNally in the first two rounds to reach the Round of 16 against world No. 14 Bencic.

But Eala failed to sustain the momentum against the Swiss star to exit the WTA1000 event.

Despite the loss, Eala is taking all the positives and lessons she can from the match as she wrapped up her debut in Toronto and second overall stint at the Canadian Open.

"I'm counting my blessings. I'm taking the lessons that I have had from these two weeks and hopefully implementing them even more and in a better way in Cincinnati and New York," Eala, who will next play at the Cincinnati Open, said.

—JMB, GMA News