Alex Eala crumbled in the quarterfinal after a 6-1, 0-6, 6-7 loss to defending champion Rebecca Marino of Canada in the Ilkley Open on Friday at the Ilkley Lawn Tennis & Squash Club in Great Britain.

Eala, 20, battled for one hour and 47 minutes on the grass court before succumbing to Marino, a former No. 38 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings, in her second grass tournament of the year.

The three-time Junior Grand Slam champion has yet to win a title on grass since becoming a professional player in 2020.

Still, Eala showed glimpses of brilliance after sweeping her first two opponents in the Ilkley Open.

She defeated Filipino-Australian netter Lizette Cabrera, 7-6, 6-3, in the Round of 32 last Wednesday.

Then, Eala took down Valentina Ryser of Switzerland 6-1, 6-2 last Thursday in the Last 16.

The Rafael Nadal Academy graduate is using this competition as part of her preparation for the Wimbledon Championships on 30 June.

With Eala already within the Top 100 of the WTA rankings, she would be granted a spot in the main draw of the third Grand Slam of the year.

She hopes to make a deeper run this time after her 0-6, 6-2, 3-6 loss against Emiliana Arango of Colombia in the French Open last May.

Eala’s biggest moment this year took place in the Miami Open last March where she beat Grand Slam champions Madison Keys, Jelena Ostapenko and Iga Swiatek for a place in the semifinal round.

Her amazing run was put to a halt when she fell to Jessica Pegula.

Still, Eala, who was the US Open Juniors champion in 2022, earned a whopping P19 million for her smashing showing.