Alex Eala’s bid to clinch the W50 Pune women’s singles title came to a screeching halt after 6-7, 0-6 loss to her doubles partner Darja Semenistaja of Latvia at the Deccan Gymkhana in India last Friday.
The No. 1 seed Semenistaja needed one hour and 52 minutes to get the job done as Eala’s second tournament of the year ended on a heartbreaking note after an early exit in the 2024 Australian Open qualifying rounds.
Eala came from a 6-1, 6-2 win over hometown bet Zeel Desai in the Round of 16 to face her Latvian rival.
This is one of the two professional tournaments the 18-year-old Rafael Nadal Academy graduate will be playing in India as she is set to compete at the W50 Indore from 29 January to 4 February.
After this, she will be flying to the United Arab Emirates for the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open set from 3 to 11 February at the International Tennis Centre in Zayed Sports City.
Still, Eala’s stint in the $40,000 tournament isn’t done yet as she and Semenistaja are playing against Japan’s Saki Imamura and Naho Sato in the semifinal as of press time.
Eala and Semenistaja came from a 6-4, 2-6, 10-4 win over Jessie of the United States and Lena Papadakis of Germany in the quarterfinal last Thursday to face the Japanese pair.
