Rome, Italy — Alex Eala face tough defeat as she begin her Italian Open journey. The 19-year-old Filipina tennis star succumb to world No. 27 Marta Kostyuk on Wednesday night, losing 6-0, 6-1 in the first round.
Kostyuk displayed dominance throughout the match, winning the first 10 games and losing only five points on serve. She wrapped up the match by clinching 60 of the 91 total points played. This performance came after a strong showing in Madrid, where Kostyuk reached the quarter-finals.
This was Eala’s first match at the Italian Open, but her journey in professional tennis has been rising since her impressive semifinal run as a wildcard at the Miami Open earlier this year. She defeated top players such as Jelena Ostapenko and Iga Swiatek before facing Jessica Pegula.
Following Miami, Eala continued to showcase her talent, reaching the second round of a Challenger event in Oeiras and earning a wildcard for the Madrid Open, where she narrowly lost again to Swiatek.
Entering the Italian Open main draw directly due to withdrawals, Eala set a new milestone, marking her first time not needing to qualify or rely on a wildcard at a WTA 1000 event. However, despite the loss in Rome, Eala is projected to rise to world No. 64 in the Live WTA Rankings, improving upon her career-high ranking of No. 70.
Eala, who has made history as the highest-ranked Filipino tennis player, expressed excitement about the Filipino community she found in Rome. “I didn’t expect such a big Filipino population here in Rome,” she told Tennis.com. She shared how she encountered fellow Filipinos multiple times while walking the streets.
Looking ahead, Eala will participate in the upcoming Parma Ladies Open, a WTA 125 tournament happening from May 12-18. She is also set to make her Grand Slam main draw debut at the French Open later this month, marking another significant step in her budding career.
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