Alex Eala falls to familiar foe in W100 Vitoria-Gasteiz semis

Alex Eala at the W100 Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain. Photo from Alex Eala’s Facebook

MANILA, Philippines—Alex Eala failed to extend her breakthrough semifinal stint at the W100 Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain.

Eala’s campaign ended on Saturday (Manila time) at the hands of Jessika Ponchet of France, who advanced to the final with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory.

The 18-year-old Eala blew a 3-0 lead in the second set and just couldn’t recover as Ponchet banked on her experience to beat the Filipino tennis ace anew.

Ponchet, 26, improved to 3-1 in her overall head-to-head matchup with Eala.

Despite the loss, Eala was finally able to make the semis after a string of quarterfinal exits in previous tournaments.

Eala secured her spot in the final four after beating home bet Lucia Cortez Llorca, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, in the quarters.

Ponchet and Ukraine’s Daria Snigur battle in the final of the $100,000 tournament.

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