Washington champion Eala falls in Toronto round of 16
Filipino player Alexandra Eala, fresh off her first major WTA title in Washington, lost to Switzerland's Belinda Bencic in the Toronto round of 16. Bencic will next face American Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals.
At the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto, 20th-seeded Filipino player Alexandra Eala lost to Switzerland's Belinda Bencic (#14) 4:6, 0:6 in the round of 16 overnight. Bencic, a former world No. 4, entered the match as a slight favorite, with bookmakers offering odds of 1.80 on her victory.
The 21-year-old Eala arrived in Toronto on a high note, having triumphed at the Washington WTA 500 just days earlier to claim her first major professional title. However, the momentum did not carry over: in the first set she fought evenly, leveling the score at 4:4, before Bencic took control and swept the remaining games without dropping another one.
The statistics reflected the Swiss player's dominance across the board. Bencic won 72% of points on her first serve compared to Eala's 46%, and 50% on her second serve compared to Eala's 35%. Overall, Bencic collected 58 points to Eala's 35, and converted six of ten break points, while Eala managed just two of four.
Gauff and Rybakina up next
In the quarterfinals, Bencic will face American Coco Gauff (#4). In another match, Japan's Naomi Osaka (#13) defeated Canada's Leylah Fernandez (#34) 6:4, 6:4 and will meet Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina (#2) in the last eight.
