Alex Eala loses Wimbledon final qualifying round

Despite trying her best to become the first Filipino to play in a Grand Slam main draw, Alex Eala stumbles in two tight sets against New Zealand’s Lulu Sun.

MANILA, Philippines – The dream of a Filipino tennis player advancing to the main draw of a Grand Slam will have to wait.

Alex Eala tried her best to become the first Filipina in history to play in the main draw of perhaps the most hallowed ground in tennis. Unfortunately, she came up against a more determined opponent who was also seeking her first Wimbledon appearance.

The 19-year-old Eala took a huge lead in the opening set and lost in two close sets, 7-6 (3), 7-5, to New Zealander Lulu Sun in the final round of the Wimbledon qualifiers on Thursday June. 27.

Eala and Sun were coming off gruelling, come-from-behind victories in the previous round. But those grind-out victories didn’t seem to have sapped the energy from Eala and Sun, who both came out swinging in their bid to secure a spot in the main draw.

The first set proved crucial for the final outcome of the match.

Eala broke serve in the sixth game to build a commanding 5-2 lead, but the Filipino soon realized that building the lead was easier than protecting it.

The 23-year-old Sun, a former NCAA Division 1 champion at the University of Texas at Austin, twice held serve at love and broke Eala in the ninth game to close the gap at 5-5.

By the time the opener went to a tiebreak, the momentum had shifted to the Kiwi, ranked world number 123, who immediately took a 3-0 lead which they extended to 6-1, a gap too big for Eala to overcome.

Eala, ranked 162, got her chances again in the second set when she was 2-0 up. But like the opener, the Filipino could not hold on to her lead as her foe made waves again.

Sun’s composure proved to be the difference, converting points in the clutch by winning the next three games, all of which went to deuce.

Eala had her last gasp as she levelled the score at 5-5, but Sun then won the next two games, again at love, to close out the match in an hour and 40 minutes.

It was the second Grand Slam tournament in a row in which Eala just missed out on qualifying for the main draws.

At the French Open last May, the Filipina lost in three sets to Julia Riera of Argentina in the final qualifying round, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4.

Eala will look to score one more Grand Slam main draw title this year when the US Open takes place in Flushing Meadows in August.

Both Eala and Sun went into the final qualifier on the back of grueling victories. The Filipina defeated Tamara Zidanšek of Slovenia 1-6, 7-6 (9), 6-3 in a match that lasted two hours and 33 minutes. The New Zealander defeated Gabriela Knutson from the Czech Republic 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (6) after two hours and four minutes. – Rappler.com