Alex Eala has exited the Miami Open at the hands of Karolina Muchova, who was in complete control throughout their match.
Eala is getting used to playing the top players at big events, but the gulf in class was clear as she lost 6-0, 6-2 in her latest attempt.
Muchova needed exactly one hour to win their round of 16 encounter at the Miami Open, where the Filipina was the 31st seed.
Currently ranked 29th on the WTA Tour, Eala will now exit Miami with a bittersweet feeling, while Muchova takes on another rising star in Victoria Mboko.
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Alex Eala must not be disheartened despite heavy Miami Open loss
Of course, Eala will be disappointed by the defeat and the nature of it, having been totally outplayed by Muchova.
At the same time, however, she was certainly the underdog for the match, which arrived after two impressive victories.
After receiving a bye in round one of the WTA 1000 tournament, one of the biggest in women’s tennis, Eala battled past Laura Siegemund.
Her mental strength was on display alongside her ability as she came from behind to beat the experienced German 6-7(6-8), 6-3, 6-3.
After that, Eala beat Magda Linette 6-3, 7-6(7-2), with the latter having only just knocked out six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek.
But she failed to repeat those heroics against Muchova, who produced a professional display to upset the hugely popular Filipina and her loyal fanbase.
The Czech star won 80% of her first serve points and 72.7% of her second serve points, as well as converting 100% of her break points.
It was never going to be an easy match for Eala, but perhaps even she didn’t anticipate such a commanding performance from the very first minute.
| Karolina Muchova | Alex Eala | |
| 77.8% 28/36 | Total Service Points Won | 42.9% 18/42 |
| 57.1% 24/42 | Total Return Points Won | 22.2% 8/36 |
| 66.7% 52/78 | Total Points Won | 33.3% 26/78 |
What should Alex Eala take away from Miami Open run?
While Muchova was ruthless from start to finish, Eala was arguably far from her best in a handful of areas.
It was definitely a case of her opponent not letting up, but the Filipina ace was uncharacteristically poor with her return.
Eala’s serve has often let her down, but her return has often made up for those shortcomings, which wasn’t the case against Muchova.
She finished the match with just 20% of her first return points won and 27.3% of her second return points won, and an overall total of just 22.2%.
Ultimately, however, it still represents another important venture in the relatively brief career of Eala, who aged 20 has a long way to go before she is the finished article.
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But right now she can be proud of her efforts and another significant run, which she should definitely take plenty of confidence and heart from.
One lingering worry, however, is her continued struggles against Czech opponents, with Eala now winless from 13 attempts.
It is a nightmare record that is only going to stay on her mind the longer it lasts, which is possible given the long list of Czech talent in women’s tennis.
At Indian Wells she was beaten by Linda Noskova, who is also in the WTA top 15 with Muchova, while Marie Bouzkova, Sara Bejlek, Katerina Siniakova, Marketa Vondrousova and Tereza Valentova are all in the top 50.
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