Ex-Wimby champ sends Eala packing

Alex Eala made an early exit as she suffered a 6-3, 1-6, 2-6 setback to Marketa Vondrousova of Czech Republic in the opening round of the Canadian Open women’s singles event early Monday (Manila time) at the IGA Stadium in Montreal.

The 20-year-old Filipina sensation took control early before Vondrousova caught fire in the second and third sets to seal the win in the match that lasted for two hours and six minutes.

Eala, who had her left shoulder taped before the start of the match, said she anticipated a strong performance from the Czech, a former Wimbledon Championships champion who is six notches above her in the World Tennis Association ranking at No. 63.

"The only thing I expected is she's gonna play a great match and she has some great results before,” said Eala after playing his first competition since a memorable final run in the Eastbourne Open and first-round exit in Wimbledon last month.

“I expected a tough match and it was a tough one so I'm happy to be through."

Actually, Eala kicked off the match oozing with confidence, shattering a 3-all tie before winning the next three games to claim the victory in the first set, 6-3.

But after trading the first two games in the second set for a 1-1 deadlock, the 26-year-old Vondrousova displayed her deadly form, making Eala pay with powerful smashes with sharp angles for a dominant 6-1 win in the second set.

With the Czech, a silver medalist in the Tokyo Olympics with a career-high ranking of No. 6 in 2023, dictating the tempo, Eala found herself under a 0-2 deficit in the third set. The Filipina showed some flashes of brilliance in the third game to inch closer, 1-2, but the older, more experienced Vondrousova pulled deep into her bag of tricks to win the next three games and secure the victory.

Vondrousova said Eala gave her a very good fight.

“I expected that (Eala) was gonna play a great match and she had some good results before, so I expected that match. So, it was a tough one so I’m very happy to beat her,” said Vondrousova, who will face world No. 28 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in the second round of this WTA1000 tournament.

“She’s very aggressive. My serve was better in the second and third sets, so I’m very happy to fight back in this match.”

Eala, for her part, is expected to regroup before marching to the Cincinnati Open starting 7 August at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio with the goal of preparing for her next Grand Slam event in the US Open from 24 August to 7 September.