Alex Eala booted out early in ITF W15 Manacor meet

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) — Filipino tennis sensation Alex Eala got eliminated early in the opening round of the International Tennis Federation W15 World Tennis Tour Wednesday in Manacor, Spain.

Tournament third seed Simona Waltert of Switzerland exacted revenge on Eala in a 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 victory in the match that lasted two hours and 44 minutes at the Rafa Nadal Academy.

Eala previously beat Waltert, 6-1, 6-4, in the first round of the ITF W25 tournament held last March 3. She eventually fell to world no. 208 Jana Fett of Croatia in three sets in the second round.

Eala kept the game at bay in the first set, but made a double fault to close the ninth game in a 4-5 deficit. Waltert closed out the frame courtesy of her serve points.

The 15-year-old Filipino tennis star awakened in the second set as she dominated the 20-year-old Swiss tennis ace from the start, mostly winning service games, to force a deciding third set.

Waltert mounted a huge comeback in the third set as she rose from a 1-4 deficit against Eala due to her break points to tie the game. Eala took an opportunity for a timely point in the ninth game to post a 5-4 lead.

The Swiss tennis star then took advantage of a weary Eala in the next two sets as she scored a crucial break point to take a 6-5 advantage. Waltert kept her composure in the 12th game as her timely ace broke the deuce and scored a point to eliminate Eala.

Waltert will next face Portugal's Francisca Jorge, who swept Italy's Noemi Basiletii, 6-2, 6-3.

As of March 8, Eala is ranked 765 in the world according to the Women's Tennis Association. She remains the third best female juniors' player in the world, according to the ITF.