Eala falls to Sun in Jingshan Open semis

Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala bowed out of the WTA 125 Jingshan Open after falling to Kiwi Lulu Sun in the semifinal, 6-3, 4-6, 2-6, in China on Saturday.

This is Eala’s second loss to Sun in as many matches. They first met in the third round of the Wimbledon qualifiers last year with the Chinese prevailing, 6-7(3), 5-7.

On Saturday, Eala lost her 40-0 lead in the ninth game of the second set when Sun scored five straight points to take a 5-4 game advantage.

It was the beginning of the end for Eala as Sun dominated the match the rest of the way.

Sun would win the next game to level the match at 1-all and then seize the first four games in the third set, seizing control for the rest of the way.

In the final, Sun will take on YeXin Ma who defeated Aussie Talia Gibson in the other semis bracket, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.

Eala isn't going home empty-handed, though, as she bagged $7,960 or P462,000 as a semifinalist.

The 20-year-old Filipino also gained 49 ranking points for reaching the final four of the tournament.

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