SINGAPORE — Philippine tennis star Alex Eala suffered an early exit from the WTA 500 Singapore Tennis Open, falling 6-4, 5-7, 3-6 to Tatiana Prozorova in their Round of 16 match at the OCBC Arena on Thursday, September 24.
The 21-year-old Eala started strong, seizing the opening set and moving within reach of a straight-sets victory in the second. However, Prozorova mounted a comeback, seizing the momentum to push the match to a decider and secure the victory.
The match marked Eala’s return to competitive play following a rest period after her U.S. Open run, showing signs of ring rust as the high-intensity contest stretched into three sets.
Despite the defeat, the early exit allows Eala additional preparation time for her upcoming stint in the Asian Games, where she remains a primary medal contender for the Philippines.
With the victory, Prozorova advances to the quarterfinals, where she will face Xinyu Wang of China.