MANILA, Philippines, October 26 ------ Alex Eala failed to sustain a strong start and suffered her second straight first-round exit. The 18-year-old Eala could not protect a one-set advantage, losing in a three-setter to 24-year-old Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, in the opening round of the Scottish Open Championships.
Seeded eighth in the tournament hosted by the Scotstoun Community Indoor Tennis Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, Eala got off to a blazing start, never facing a break point and breaking the unseeded Lamens twice to score a clinical first-set win. But Lamens, currently ranked 216th in the world with a career-high of 161 achieved a year ago, seized the momentum in the second set, breaking Eala in the very first game.
The world No. 193 Eala managed to answer back with a break and kept the set even until the sixth game. Lamens, though, pulled away in the eighth game to go up 5-3 and held serve in the 10th to tie the count at a set apiece. Lamens would not allow Eala any chance to get back into the match in the decider. The most Eala could do was cut the deficit to 2-1, but it was all Lamens from there as the Dutch secured the next four games to earn for herself a spot in the second round of the $60,000 ITF event. Just last week, Eala also was unable to capitalize on her early lead and fell to second seed Elise Mertens in the WTA Jasmin Open in Tunisia, 7-5, 6-0. Mertens eventually emerged champion of the tournament.
Eala will have a chance to salvage her campaign in Glasgow when she partners with 19-year-old Barbora Palicova of the Czech Republic for the doubles competition on Wednesday as they face Berfu Cengiz of Turkey and Ali Collins of Great Britain.
Source: rappler.com
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