Alex Eala falls short against French foe in Spain tiff's semis

Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala fell to French opponent Jessika Ponchet, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, on Saturday in the semifinals round of ITF W100 tournament in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.

Prior to the semis loss, Eala defeated local bet Lucia Cortez Llorca in the quarterfinals, and China's Tianmi Mi and Romanian Jaqueline Cristian in the earlier rounds of the tilt.

Ponchet will face Ukraine's Daria Snigur in the finals.

After getting her first pro title this year in W25 Yecla, she made it to the quarters in W25 Madrid followed by a first round exit in W25+H Tauste-Zaragoza, another quarterfinal finish in W40 Palma del Rio, and a first round exit in W25 Corroios-Seixal.

—Justin Kenneth Carandang/JMB, GMA Integrated News