Alex Eala bowed out of the Italian Open after a 4-6, 3-6 loss to world No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the Round of 32 at the Foro Italico in Rome on Sunday.
Eala fought for one hour and 32 minutes but fell short as she wasn’t able to defeat a top 10 player in the women’s singles of the prestigious Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) in their first match against each other.
The 20-year-old Rafael Nadal Academy alumna defeated No. 45 Magdalena Frech of Poland, 6-0, 3-6, 6-4, in the Round of 128 and took down No. 33 Wang Xinyu of China, 6-4, 6-3, in the Last 64.
Eala is expected to pocket 46,080 euros or around P3.2 million for her efforts in the Italian Open.