Alex Eala bows out of Singapore Open against Tatiana Prozorova

Alex Eala’s Singapore Open campaign came to an early end on Thursday evening after falling to Russia’s Tatiana Prozorova in the Round of 16.

The third-seeded Filipina lost 6-4, 5-7, 3-6 in her first match this tournament that lasted for over three hours. Early on, Eala appeared to be in control, holding the first set lead and a 4-2 advantage in the second set, before Prozorova mounted a comeback to shift the momentum and seal the match.

The victory marks a career milestone for World No. 180 Prozorova, securing her first win against a Top 20 player.

"It was tough against Eala, well, not against Alexandra, but against her fans," Prozorova said in her post-match interview, acknowledging the Filipino crowd in attendance, before thanking the spectators for the atmosphere and support.

Prozorova will next face China’s Xinyu Wang.

The Singapore Tennis Open is scheduled until Sept. 27 at the OCBC Arena Hall in The Kallang sports and lifestyle precinct.

Eala, world no. 18, is the third seed, following first seed Mirra Andreeva (world no. 5) and second seed Amanda Anisimova (world no. 11).

After the Singapore tournament, the 21-year-old seeks to represent the Philippines at the 20th Asian Games. To do this, however, she will have to sit out the mandatory China Open, which overlaps with the Aichi-Nagoya games.