Eala loses at Linz after letting big leads slip

Alex Eala flattered to deceive against clay-court specialist and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko as the Filipina star bowed out in the round of 16 match at Linz after leading 4-2 in the first set and 5-1 in the second. The Latvian 4^th seed won 6-4, 7-5 to register her first win over the 20-year-old in their three meetings.

It was a match of contrasting styles as Eala, a counter-puncher, tried to extend rallies from the baseline, while the 28-year-old tried to shorten points, going for big winners. While the Filipino initially managed to wear down the Latvian from the back of the court, once Ostapenko got her radar in place, she kept blasting winners and did not let Eala recover.

Nevertheless, one positive to come out of this week for world No 46 Eala is that she has secured a main draw spot at the WTA 500 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, starting next week. She replaces Zheng Qinwen, who withdrew due to injury.