Tatiana Prozorova stuns Alex Eala in Singapore Open thriller

Alex Eala had the backing of a passionate home crowd, but Russia’s Tatiana Prozorova stayed composed to defeat the third-seeded Filipino star in a thrilling three-set battle in the Singapore Open round of 16 on Thursday.

Eala made a strong start, taking the opening set 6-4. The 180th ranked, however, responded with a determined fightback, edging a tightly contested second set 7-5 to level the match.

The deciding set produced several memorable exchanges, but Prozorova held her nerve when it mattered most, closing out the contest 6-3 to book her place in the quarter-finals.

The 22-year-old will be up against China's Wang Xinyu in the last eight. Wang defeated Chinese Taipei’s Joanna Garland, 7-5, 6-4, earlier in the day.

The loss will now give Eala sufficient time to prepare for the Asian Games where she will begin her campaign at the Nagoya City Higashiyama Park Tennis Centre in Japan.

She has previously won a bronze medal at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.