Philta chief allays fears over Eala slump

The Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) remains confident Alex Eala will recover from her recent setbacks in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tour and return to top form to contend for major titles.

Philta secretary general John Rey Tiangco said the 21-year-old Filipina has the support system and mindset to overcome her losing spell.

Eala suffered a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 defeat to Chinese qualifier and world No. 217 Shi Han in the Round of 64 of the Wuhan Open last Monday.

Less than 24 hours later, Eala and Turkish partner Zeynep Sonmez also bowed out of the women’s doubles following a 2-6, 3-6 loss to Ukrainians Dayana Yastremska and Anhelina Kalinina.

“Everyone who enters a tournament has the goal of winning. They’re all competitive, and at that level, anything can happen,” Tiangco told DAILY TRIBUNE in an online conversation.

“But she has a great team. Her family is there to support her, and of course, Filipinos are also behind her. So, we’ll see what happens.”

Before Wuhan, Eala also suffered an early exit at the Singapore Tennis Open in September, losing to world No. 180 Tatiana Prozorova of Russia, 6-4, 5-7, 3-6. She later claimed a bronze medal at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

Tiangco, also the Navotas City mayor, said Eala’s willingness to learn from every match will be crucial to her recovery.

“What I admire most about Alex is her growth mindset. She has a great team behind her, a wonderful attitude, and a constant desire to improve. Whether she wins or loses, she always looks for ways to become better,” Tiangco said.

“With that kind of mentality, I am confident she will continue to grow and achieve even more.”

Eala will have several opportunities to regain her footing, with the Ningbo Open starting on 19 October, followed by the Pan Pacific Open in Osaka, Japan, on 26 October. She is also scheduled to compete in the Hong Kong Tennis Open beginning 2 November.