Alex Eala opened her first-ever quarterfinal appearance at the SP Open in Brazil like a storm—confident, composed, and in full command.
She raced to a 3-0 lead over Indonesia’s Janice Tjen, looking every bit the 20-year-old phenom who had just lifted the championship trophy days earlier in Guadalajara.
But then, the light dimmed.
Eala faded—fast. The energy that had fueled her opening charge seemed to vanish, as if drained by the hardcourt itself.
Was it fatigue from the long Latin American grind? Or was it Tjen—26, steady, unflinching—tapping into the form that had carried her through earlier rounds without dropping a set?
Whatever it was, the shift was swift and ruthless.
Tjen began pressing forward with purpose—stepping into returns, attacking the net with icy precision, and firing off cross-court winners that left Eala scrambling. She took away time, space, and rhythm. There were no extended rallies, no room to reset. Just pressure—constant, clinical.
In a flash, the set was level at 3-all.
Eala briefly pushed back, nudging ahead 4-3. But it was the last flicker of resistance.
From that point, the match became a one-way street. Over the next 10 games, Eala managed just one hold—at the start of the second set—before Tjen slammed the door shut.
Final score: 6-4, 6-1.
A blazing beginning, a sudden unraveling, and a bitter end in São Paulo.
Still, for Eala, a quarterfinal finish marks progress—another step forward in an upward climb marked by consistency and grit.
But on this day, it was Tjen who looked every inch the semifinalist in this $275,000 WTA 250 event—sharper, steadier, and utterly in control when it mattered most.
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