Alex Eala eyes short break to recharge and pamper herself

Filipino fans turned out in force once again to cheer on Alexandra Eala, but their support could not prevent the 21-year-old from bowing out of the National Bank Open in Toronto.

Eala’s impressive run came to an end on Monday as Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic produced a dominant performance to beat the Filipino star 6-4, 6-0 in the Round of 16.

For much of the week, Eala had made the National Bank Open feel like a home tournament. Filipino flags filled the stands, chants of her name echoed around the stadium and every victory brought an even bigger wave of support.

But Bencic brought the Eala party to an abrupt end with a commanding display to book her place in the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 event.

Eala, who climbed to a career-high No. 20 in the WTA singles rankings after winning the Mubadala DC Open in Washington last week, had already played a demanding schedule over the past two weeks.

The Filipino had battled past Americans Alycia Parks 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 and Caty McNally 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 to reach the fourth round in Toronto.

The packed schedule appeared to take its toll against Bencic, with Eala looking fatigued as the match progressed.

She will now get a brief break before returning to action at another WTA 1000 event, the Cincinnati Open, which runs from August 13 to 23.

Eala admitted she is looking forward to some time away from tennis, with a haircut among the things on her immediate to-do list.

“I definitely will take maybe two days off, a day or two. I do have to travel to Cincinnati. I need to get a haircut. I haven’t gotten a haircut in a while. My nails are grown out,” Eala said during her post-match press conference.

“So, yeah, I’ll do a couple things, just to get my mind off tennis. I think Toronto’s a great place to do that.”

The short break will also give Eala an opportunity to recover from a minor injury scare during her third-round win over McNally, when she tweaked her right ankle in the second set.

The 21-year-old said she plans to catch up with friends in Cincinnati and make the most of her time away from the court before getting back to work.

“Yeah, I will reunite maybe with some friends in Cincinnati, and just try to have fun,” she said.

“I’ll be back on court (snaps fingers) like that, so I got to enjoy what I have. I got to enjoy the time that I have that I’m not on court.”