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| Alex Eala was caught on an off night by world number 4 Coco Gauff. Richard Esguerra (file photo) |
MANILA--Alex Eala’s magical run at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships came to an end early Friday (Philippine Time), as world no. 4 Coco Gauff dismantled the 20-year-old Filipina in just 69 minutes, 6-0, 6-2, to advance to the WTA 1000 semifinals.
In their first-ever singles meeting, the former doubles partners looked miles apart.
Eala, ranked No. 47, appeared physically and mentally drained from her grueling path to the quarterfinals.
Her signature forehand misfired consistently, and a laser-focused Gauff took full advantage, cruising through a 26-minute first-set bagel (6-0) without facing a single break point.
Staring down a dreaded double bagel down 0-4 in the second set, Eala finally found a flicker of resistance.
Capitalizing on a sudden string of double faults from Gauff, Eala broke serve to get on the board with a brilliant backhand drop shot.
The heavy Filipino contingent in the stands roared to life as Eala pushed the score to 2-4, her body language shifting from defeated to defiant.
However, Gauff's championship pedigree quickly shut the door for the Filipina.
The American steadied the ship with an unsettling calm, rattling off the final two games to seal the match.
The stat sheets highlighted the massive gap in execution, specifically in the serves of the players.
When Gauff landed her first serve, she won the point 77% of the time.
Eala won just 30% of her first-serve points, leaving her constantly under fire.
Meanwhile, Gauff ruthlessly converted 6 of her 9 break point opportunities. Eala only managed to create two chances in the entire match, converting one.
The sole blemish on Gauff’s play was her 8 double faults (five in the second set), giving Eala her brief window of momentum.
