FILE — Filipino tennis star Alex Eala.
MANILA, Philippines—Alex Eala made an early exit in her return to action, losing Darya Astakhova of Russia, 6-2, 6-2, in the Round of 32 of the W25 Milovice Indoor Open 2021 at Milten Sport Centrum in the Czech Republic Tuesday (Manila time).
Eala, who missed two months of tennis action after the US Open, had brief control of the match abut lost three straights to fall 3-1 to Astakhova before the Russian took over and won the sixth to eighth games to take the first set.
Astakhova had a better start to the second set going up 5-1 before wrapping things up in the eighth.
The W25 Milovice was Eala’s first competition after she suffered a foot injury following her campaign in the 2021 US Open in September.
Astakhova will next face the Great Britain’s Sarah Beth Grey in the second round.