It was a grueling two-set match between both players.
On Thursday, October 22, Filipina tennis star Alex Eala competed in the second round of the Ningbo Open in China.
At the said WTA 500 tournament, the current world no. 20 faced Diana Shnaider, who is currently the no. 13 female tennis player globally and the sixth seed in the tournament.
The match between the two ladies was no less than thrilling, as it saw them trading breaks and kept their opponent at bay and within striking distance of a win. However, the first set ended in favor of Shnaider.
In the second set, Eala was close to getting a chance of pushing the game to a decider, but her Russian rival opposite her was able to pull through and end the match with a win. 7-5, 6-4 was the final scoreline.
With this development, Alex has exited the Ningbo Open in China, marking another loss in the ongoing Asian leg of the tour.
After her stints in Wuhan and Ningbo, the Filipina tennis ace will return to Japan this October 26 for the Toray Pan Pacific Open, which will be held in Tokyo.
Prior to that, she last played in Nagoya for the 20th Asian Games, where she earned herself and the country a bronze in the women’s singles event.
