MANILA — Alexandra Eala squandered a one-set advantage and a third-set lead as world No. 180 Tatiana Prozorova of Russia pulled off a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 upset in the Round of 16 of the Singapore Tennis Open on Thursday at the OCBC Arena in Singapore.
The world No. 18 Filipina appeared poised to advance after taking the opening set and later recovering from an early deficit in the decider, but Prozorova swept the final four games to complete the comeback.
Prozorova raced to a 3-1 advantage in the opening set before Eala responded by winning four consecutive games to seize a 5-3 lead.
The Russian managed to hold in the ninth game, but Eala closed out the set, 6-4, to move within one set of a quarterfinal berth.
Eala carried the momentum into the second frame and took a 2-1 lead before Prozorova pulled level. The Filipina later gained a two-game cushion, but Prozorova refused to fold and fought back to capture the set, 7-5, forcing a deciding third set.
Prozorova rode that momentum to win the first two games of the decider, only for Eala to answer with three straight games for a 3-2 advantage.
That proved to be Eala’s final surge.
Prozorova leveled the set at 3-all and reeled off three more games to seal the 6-3 victory and eliminate the Filipina from the tournament.
Eala struggled with her serve throughout the three-set battle, committing seven double faults and winning only 52 percent of the points behind her first serve. She converted six of her 17 break-point opportunities.
Prozorova held the advantage in crucial serving numbers, firing four aces and converting seven of 12 break points.
Eala still won more receiving points, 59-54, but Prozorova finished with a 118-113 edge in total points and won 17 games compared with the Filipina’s 14.
The defeat ended Eala’s first tournament appearance since her US Open campaign, where she also reached the Round of 16.
The Singapore Open was Eala’s final WTA tournament before she joins the Philippine delegation for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan./PN
