Alex Eala’s run at the WTA 250 Sao Paulo Open ended in the quarterfinals after a 6-4, 6-1 loss to Indonesia’s Janice Tjen early Saturday (Philippine time) in Brazil.
The 20-year-old Filipino tennis star, seeded third in the tournament, saw her seven-match winning streak halted after Tjen rallied from a 0-3 deficit in the opening set. Ranked No. 130 in the WTA, Tjen strung together three straight games to level the frame, then surged again to clinch it, 6-4.
Eala briefly went ahead 1-0 in the second set, but Tjen stormed back with six unanswered games to seal her first career Tour-level semifinal appearance.
It was the first WTA Tour meeting between Eala and Tjen, who were once rivals on the juniors circuit. The loss also marked Eala’s first setback since her US Open campaign, where she reached the second round before bowing to Cristina Bucsa.
The Filipino opened her Sao Paulo campaign with a convincing win over Yasmine Mansouri and followed it up with a straight-sets victory over Julia Riera in the Round of 16.
Eala is expected to resume action later this year in tournaments across Asia. Meanwhile, Tjen will meet either Francesca Jones or Solana Sierra in the semifinals.
