We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.
— American civil right activist Martin Luther King Jr.
MAYPAJO, Caloocan City — Unexpectedly, our tennis pride, Alexandra “Alex” Eala, lost to her Russian rival, Tatiana Prozorova, despite being ranked more than 140 places higher, in the second round of the Singapore Tennis Open.
Alex led 4-2 in the second set, but she couldn’t keep up the pace against Prozorova, who is ranked 162 places below her. Eala failed to get past her opponent in three sets after three hours and 11 minutes of thrilling action.
She was one of the title favorites in Singapore, entering the competition as the third seed. However, seeding went out the window as the 21-year-old suffered her worst defeat of 2026.
Before bowing to her Russian rival, Eala hadn’t lost to a player ranked outside the top 100 this season. She fell to world No. 99 Alycia Parks at the Australian Open, but she had been unbeaten against players ranked 101st or worse.
So, it’s safe to say Alex Eala could be feeling extra disappointed after losing her first match in Singapore.
Eala was feeling fit and ready for her first test at the WTA 500 tournament, which arrived in the second round after she received a first-round bye. It was her first match since the US Open earlier this month, with the 21-year-old undoubtedly eager to get back to winning ways since her third-round exit in New York.
But it wasn’t meant to be. She was outclassed and beaten, 6-4, 5-7, 3-6.
And once the dust has settled on this defeat, the world No. 18 is certainly left thinking about what could have been.
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ia/xf
