By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala crashed out early in the Roland Garros Girls singles tournament, losing to unseeded Matilda Mutavdzic of Great Britain, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-1, Monday night in Paris, France.
Eala, seeded second in the tournament, fought tooth and nail to forge a deciding third set but lost steam later on in the match that lasted 2 hours and 33 minutes.
The 16-year-old Eala took a commanding a 5-1 lead in the second frame but something went awry with her game that saw her rival rally to force a tiebreaker.
The British netter even took a 4-1 lead but Eala fought back to force a decider.
There was no stopping Mutavdzic from there as she peppered Eala with variety of powerful shots for the win.
This marked Eala’s earliest exit in the main draw of a Grand Slam event, ending her bid to improve on her semifinal finish last year.
