Blessing in disguise?: Eala wanted to win SG Open ahead of Asian Games

SINGAPORE — Alex Eala swears that making an early exit in the Singapore Open wasn’t part of her plan.

But after she surrendered her Round of 16 battle to an unheralded Russian foe, the 21-year-old Filipina is making the most of it, turning it into a golden opportunity to rest, recover, and prepare for her next important mission: the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya next week.

A blessing in disguise appeared to have struck Eala following her crushing 6-4, 5-7, 3-6 setback to world No. 180 Tatiana Prozorova in the second round of this prestigious Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 500 event late Thursday here.

Entering the tournament as world No. 18, Eala was tipped to have a cakewalk in the first three rounds before cruising to the final for a mouthwatering showdown with world No. 5 and reigning French Open champion Mirra Andreeva of Russia. After all, Eala is in great shape following a solid North American swing, and competing in the Lion City is like seeing action in Manila due to its geographical location and the large Filipino community ready to cheer its heart out for her.

But Andreeva’s unseeded — and relatively unknown — compatriot crashed the party. The 22-year-old Prozorova completely flipped the script as she outsmarted, outhustled, and outworked the Filipino superstar, especially in the deciding set when she threw Eala out of her comfort zone with her fearless baseline winners.

During her post-match press conference, Prozorova admitted that she couldn’t believe the outcome. In fact, she marched into battle with practically nothing to lose as she has yet to beat a top-40 opponent in her three-year professional career.

But Eala said she doesn’t see the loss as a blessing in disguise that would allow her to get a few days of rest before the Asian Games. She said just like in any tournament she competes in, her goal was to come up with a strong run in Singapore so that she will be able to gain momentum that is huge enough to help the country secure its first gold medal in the Asian Games singles event for the first time since 1962.

“I would have wanted to win today. I would have wanted to go further in the tournament,” said Eala following the marathon three-hour match that nearly stretched until midnight.

“A blessing in disguise or not doesn’t matter at the present. What matters to me is learning from this loss and preparing for my next match.”

Eala added that Prozorova played one hell of a game and she deserves to advance in one of the most prestigious WTA events in Asia.

“I think Tatiana played really well today,” she said.

“I think first, I just have to, you know, like every loss, accept the fact that maybe she performed better today, and then look at it, take the time to analyze, take the time to learn. I fought hard. I did everything I could to win on the court.”

Had Eala gone all the way to the Singapore Open final on Sunday, officials from the Philippine Tennis Association, Philippine Olympic Committee, and Philippine Sports Commission could have suffered a logistical nightmare since she would have very little window to play her first match on Monday.

After getting a first-round bye for being the top seed, Eala will face the winner between Patcharin Cheapchandej of Thailand and Mahin Aftab Qureshi of Pakistan in the second round.

Should she advance, she will be on a collision course with Joanna Garland of Chinese Taipei — the world No. 168 who bowed to Wang Xinyu of China in the Round of 32 of the Singapore Open.

Meanwhile, the opposite side of the bracket features second seed and world No. 54 Zhang Shuhai of China, third seed and world No. 84 Yuliya Putinseva of Kazakhstan and seventh seed and world No. 136 Himeno Sakatsume of Japan.

“We’re hoping that Alex will not be given any schedule on the opening day. Hopefully, her first match will be on Monday — or even Tuesday — for that matter,” Philta executive director Tonette Mendoza said in a telephone conversation on Thursday morning.

“We already informed the ITF and the organizers about her situation, and we’re hoping for a positive reply. They understand Alex’s situation, and they appreciate the fact that Alex will be playing in the Asian Games despite her very hectic schedule in the WTA tour.”

But with Eala’s unforgettable Singapore Open stint already behind, the looming schedule conflict was finally solved. Now, Eala can move forward and shift her focus to a historic Asian Games campaign.