Alex Eala’s search for a fourth professional title came to a grinding halt after a 4-6, 3-6 loss to hometown bet Georgina Garcia-Perez in the quarterfinal of the W60 Barcelona women’s singles tournament at the UP Cornellà – TEC Carles Ferrer Salat in Barcelona Saturday morning (Manila time).
Garcia-Perez, 31, gave Eala the boot after one hour and 33 minutes of play, eliminating the two-time Junior Grand Slam winner in the process.
The Spanish netter’s next opponent will be Australia’s Arina Rodionova in the semifinals.
Getting as far as the quarterfinal, Eala had to beat Diana Marcinkevica of Latvia, who retired in the Round of 32, before pulling off an upset against second seed Eva Lys of Germany, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, in the Round of 16.
Eala, 18, also tried her luck in the women’s doubles with Emilie Lindh Gallagher of Great Britain but exited early after a 6-4, 3-6, 3-10, in the Round of 16.
