Alex Eala ends Berlin Open run after semifinal loss to Linda Nosková
World No. 35 Alex Eala's dream run at the Berlin Open came to an end after the Filipino tennis star fell to Linda Nosková in the semifinals on Sunday (Philippine time).
Held at the Steffi Graf Stadion in Germany, the match ended with Eala suffering a 6-2, 6-4 loss against the Czech Republic player, who is world No. 13.
Nosková took control early in the match, breaking Eala's serve three times in the opening set.
Eala showed signs of a comeback in the second set after recovering from a 3-1 deficit and winning three straight games to take a 4-3 lead.
However, Nosková responded by claiming the next three games before closing out the match to advance to the finals.
Following this, Noskova will now face world No. 4 Jessica Pegula of the United States as she aims to win her second WTA Tour title.
Eala previously qualified for the semifinals after her 6-4 triumph over world No. 8 Elina Svitolina, marking the Filipina's sixth win against a top-10 opponent.
With her loss to Noskova, however, it appears that she has yet to break her so-called Czech curse, which has so far allowed her just one win in 13 matches against opponents from the Czech Republic.
Nevertheless, things aren't over for Eala as she is now gearing up to compete in another tennis competition in Germany—the Bad Homburg Open—where she will face Belgium’s Elise Mertens in the round of 32 of singles play.
