Alexandra Eala’s run at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers has come to an end.
The rising Filipino star was eliminated with a 6-4, 6-0 loss to Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic on Sunday night in Toronto.
The loss snapped a seven-match win streak for the 21-year-old Eala, which included her DC Open title victory on Monday when she became the first player from the Philippines to win a tour-level event.
Bencic was too much for Eala on Sunday, however, as the tournament’s 12th seed had just six unforced errors in the victory — the fewest for Bencic in a singles WTA-1000 match this season.
The 29-year-old Swiss will now take on world No. 4 Coco Gauff of the United States in the quarterfinals.
As for Eala, just like her first two matches in Toronto, the crowd on Sunday was heavily in her favour as the large Filipino community in the city came out to support in droves.
Eala left the court to a standing ovation from the crowd.
“The atmosphere this whole week has been just incredible,” Eala said after the match. “It’s hard to describe to other people the kind of feeling of being in that stadium, full of the fans and all the love. So, yeah, I’m super grateful for the experiences that I’ve had here in Toronto. It’s been an amazing debut. I’ll carry these memories with me for a really long time.”
Despite the loss, her performance in Toronto was one to remember, and she looks like she’s on her way to being a force on the tour for years to come.
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