Eala falls to Czech opponent once more, exits Miami Open

Sports

ALEX Eala wilted under the weight of history, losing once more to a Czech opponent to bow out of the Miami Open.

Eala remained winless against a Czech opponent after she bowed to Karolina Muchova, 0-6, 2-6, in their Round of 16 duel past midnight on Tuesday (Philippine time), March 24.

The Filipina tennis star fell to 0-12 when facing a Czech player in a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) event. By failing to break the Czech curse, Eala failed to match her stellar semifinal finish in last year’s Miami Open where she defeated three former Grand Slam champions.

Ranked No. 14 in the world, the 29-year-old Muchova proved too much for the 20-year-old Eala, dropping just two games in a dominant victory that she sealed in just an hour.

After blanking the world No. 29 Eala in the first set, Muchova, a 2023 French Open finalist, threatened to come up with another love set in the second frame when she raced to a 4-0 lead.

Eala finally got on the board, winning the fifth game but Muchova was quick to answer in the sixth then wrapped things up with another victory in the eighth.

Muchova, thus, arranged a quartefinal date with Canadian Victoria Mboko.

This year’s Miami Open saw Eala earn an opening-round bye before beating Laura Siegemund, 6-7 (