LONDON — Filipina tennis star Alexandra Eala saw her impressive grass-court surge come to an abrupt end after suffering a commanding 6-2, 6-2 defeat to American Iva Jovic in the Round of 16 of the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club on Wednesday night.
Jovic once again proved to be a stumbling block for Eala, dominating from the outset and denying the Filipina ace a place in the quarterfinals of the prestigious WTA 500 grass-court tournament.
The American controlled the match with aggressive baseline play and timely service breaks, dismantling Eala’s rhythm en route to a straight-sets victory that lasted just one hour and 16 minutes.
The loss halted Eala’s six-match winning streak on grass this season and prevented the world No. 33 from extending the momentum she built after capturing the Birmingham Open title last week.
Eala entered Queen’s Club riding high from her Birmingham triumph, which marked the second WTA title of her career. She carried that form into London with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 opening-round victory over China’s Zhang Shuai.
But Jovic, who also defeated Eala during the French Open campaign in May, once again had the upper hand, keeping the Filipina from mounting any sustained challenge throughout the contest.
Despite the setback, Eala’s campaign at Queen’s Club still yielded valuable gains. The 21-year-old Victorias City, Negros Occidental native is expected to collect 60 WTA ranking points along with $28,245 in prize money for reaching the second round.
With the grass-court season entering its crucial stretch, Eala now shifts her focus to Wimbledon preparations. She is set to compete in the Bad Homburg Open in Germany later this month before heading to the year’s third Grand Slam tournament.
Wimbledon is scheduled from June 29 to July 12./PN
