FILE – Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala at the W25 El Espinar/Segovia. ALEX EALA FACEBOOK
MANILA, Philippines—Alex Eala yielded to home player Eva Guerrero Alvarez, 2-6, 6-3, 2-6, in the semifinals of W25 El Espinar/Segovia on Friday evening (Manila time) in Spain.
The 17-year-old recovered from a first-set loss to force a decider but Alvarez displayed grace under pressure, zooming to a 5-0 lead in the last set and never looking back to book a finals ticket.
Alvarez will face Mirra Andreeva of Russia for the title.
It was Eala’s second straight semifinals exit after reaching the Final Four of the W60 Vitoria-Gasteiz and losing to Jessika Ponchet last week.
“Good run this week as I finish as a semi-finalist in this W25 tournament at El Espinar, Spain,” the Filipino posted on her Facebook.
Eala, who recently earned her best ranking in the WTA at No. 282, said she will play in the W100 Grodzisk Mazowiecki in Poland.
The Rafael Nadal Academy scholar is still eyeing her third crown in the pro ranks.