By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negrense tennis star Alex Eala exited the WTA Linz Open after absorbing a 6-4, 7-5 defeat to former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the Round of 16 in Austria.

Facing a quick turnaround from her opening round win against Julia Grabher, the Filipina held her ground against the higher-ranked Ostapenko but ultimately fell short in a tightly contested match marked by momentum swings and aggressive shot-making.

Ostapenko leaned on her power game early, firing six aces to Eala’s two, but also struggled with control, committing 11 double faults.

Eala, for her part, was steadier off the serve with just five double faults and a higher first-serve percentage at 88 percent compared to her opponent’s 83.

Despite that, the Latvian capitalized on key moments, particularly on second serve, where she won 67 percent of points while Eala failed to win any on her second serve.

That gap proved decisive as Ostapenko converted six of her nine break-point chances, compared to Eala’s four of nine.

The opening set saw Eala keep pace before Ostapenko pulled away late to take it, 6-4.

In the second set, the 20-year-old Filipina took a 5-1 advantage but was unable to protect it.

Ostapenko finished with 74 total points against Eala’s 68 and won 13 games overall, controlling key stretches that included a six-game run at one point in the match.

The loss ended Eala’s campaign in Linz, but her performance underscored her ability to compete against top-tier opposition on the WTA Tour./ASC, WDJ