Prozorova stuns No. 3 seed Eala

Alex Eala’s Singapore Tennis Open campaign came to an early end after the third-seeded Filipino suffered a 6-4, 5-7, 3-6 upset to world No. 180 Tatiana Prozorova of Russia at the OCBC Arena in Kallang on Thursday.

Eala battled the 22-year-old Russian for three hours and nine minutes before running out of steam in the deciding set, ending her stint in the prestigious Women’s Tennis Association 500 tournament.

The world No. 18 Eala entered the Singapore Open as the No. 3 seed and one of the tournament favorites, but Prozorova proved too tough to overcome despite the strong support from Filipino fans who filled much of the arena.

“Yes, it was tough against Eala. Well, not against Alexandra, against her fans, but, well, I appreciate it,” Prozorova said in a post-match interview.

“Honestly, I don’t have any words right now to describe my emotions, my feelings, but wow, I did it.”

The defeat ends Eala’s Singapore campaign but gives her little time to dwell on the setback as she shifts her attention to the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

Eala will lead the Philippine tennis team in its bid to end the country’s 64-year wait for an Asian Games gold medal, with the women’s singles competition beginning on 27 September at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center.