Heartbreak at Roland Garros: Alex Eala falls short in French Open main draw bid
In a match that could have gone either way, Alex Eala misses the chance to mark her 19th birthday with a historic Grand Slam berth after bowing to Argentina’s Julia Riera in the final qualifier of the French Open
MANILA, Philippines – On the day she turned 19 years old, Alex Eala missed out on making history.
Eala fell short of her breakthrough bid to become the first Filipino female player in the modern era to earn a spot in the Grand Slam main draw when she fell to Julia Riera of Argentina, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, in the last round of the French Open qualifiers on Thursday, May 23.
The deciding thid set saw Riera attempting to pull ahead when she went up 4-2, but Eala would not go away easily and leveled the count anew at 4-4.
Alas, the Filipina teen could not hold on to her serve in the ninth game, enabling Riera to pocket the next two games and steal the match.
