By el Amigo
MANILA — Alex Eala’s bid for another deep run in a major WTA tournament came to a halt in Toronto after Belinda Bencic handed the Filipina a 6-4, 6-0 defeat in the Canadian Open Round of 16 on Monday, Philippine time.
Eala, who had won seven straight matches before facing the former Canadian Open champion, was unable to sustain the level that carried her through the opening rounds as Bencic steadily took command of the contest.
The Philippine left-hander did manage to make the first set competitive.
After falling behind early, Eala fought her way back to a 4-4 tie. She delivered an ace to finish the seventh game before breaking Bencic in the succeeding game, putting herself in position to seize control.
Bencic responded with authority, winning the next two games to take the first set.
The Swiss star then turned the match into a one-sided affair in the second set, establishing a 5-0 lead behind her effective serve and aggressive return game.
Eala refused to surrender easily. Trailing 0-40 in the sixth game, she produced consecutive backhand winners and battled her way to deuce.
The comeback ended there, however. Eala’s return went wide, and Bencic followed with a cross-court forehand winner to close out the match and advance to the quarterfinals.
Bencic, the 2015 Canadian Open champion, continued her strong record against left-handed players, winning her 10th consecutive match against a southpaw since 2024.
She will next meet Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals.
Eala’s road to the Round of 16 included a convincing victory over Alycia Parks, whom she defeated 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 after receiving a first-round bye. She followed that with another hard-fought win over Caty McNally, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
Meanwhile, the remaining quarterfinal pairings in Toronto are Naomi Osaka versus Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek versus Diana Shnaider, and Elina Svitolina versus Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Eala’s exit ended her latest winning streak, but her run to the last 16 continued to underline her growing competitiveness against established names on the WTA Tour.
elamigo/mnm
