MANILA – Qualifier Alexandra “Alex” Eala failed to reach the W80 Poitiers final in France after losing to WTA World No. 105 Ysaline Bonaventure of Belgium, 1-6, 6-3, 3-6, in the semifinals on Saturday.

The 17-year-old Filipino, with a current career-high ranking of WTA World No. 248, suffered her second defeat at the hands of Bonaventure just over a week since yielding to the 28-year-old Belgian in the W60 Hamburg second round.

Their semifinal, scheduled first on the Comité Départemental de Tennis de la Vienne Center Court, started off with Bonaventure taking a 2-0 lead.

Eala held serve with a forehand winner to be at 1-2, but Bonaventure extended her lead to 5-1 via a forehand crosscourt winner.

As Eala was serving to stay in the set, a double fault gave Bonaventure two set points, and another double fault allowed the Belgian to break and secure the opening set, 6-1.

After the left-handers exchanged breaks at the beginning of the second set, Eala broke to be at 3-2 by forcing Bonaventure to commit a backhand error.

Eala held for a 4-2 edge after receiving a brief medical timeout, then proceeded to be at 5-3 after Bonaventure netted a forehand.

Eala broke once more on her second set point to force a decider, 6-3, with a sizzling forehand winner down the line.

In the third set, Bonaventure was the first to break, 2-1, after converting her third break point in the third game courtesy of an Eala double fault.

The Belgian saved three break points to hold for 3-1, and advanced to 4-2 after saving a break point with an ace and sealing the sixth game with another ace.

Eala was unable to hold in the following game, which allowed Bonaventure to serve for the match at 5-2.

A love service break was clinched by Eala to be at 3-5, and as she was serving to stay in the match, Bonaventure broke on her second match point to reach the final, 6-3, after Eala’s forehand approach shot was called out.

In the final on Sunday, Bonaventure will aim for her 13th ITF women’s singles crown against either No. 6 seed and WTA World No. 140 Clara Tauson of Denmark, 19, or WTA World No. 283 Petra Marcinko of Croatia, 16.

Eala’s W80 Poitiers run kicked off in the qualifiers where she defeated Astrid Cirotte and Diana Martynov of France with the same 6-1, 6-2 score as the No. 4 seed.

In the main draw, the 2021 W15 Manacor and 2022 W25 Chiang Rai winner overcame WTA World No. 161 Jessika Ponchet of France in the first round, 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(6).

She went on to upset No. 8 seed and WTA World No. 107 Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia in the second round, 6-4, 6-3, then ousted WTA World No. 153 and former Top 20 player Ana Konjuh of Croatia, in the quarterfinals, 6-2, 6-3.

The reigning US Open Girls’ singles titlist, meanwhile, posted a quarterfinal finish in the doubles draw of the $80,000 ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour competition.

Eala and Marcinko breezed past Belarusians Yuliya Hatouka and Iryna Shymanovich in the first round, 6-2, 6-3, then fell to Czech No. 3 seeds Miriam Kolodziejova and Marketa Vondrousova in the quarterfinals, 5-7, 2-6.

• Tennis: Alex Eala ousts Ana Konjuh, sails into W80 France semis
• Eala, Croatian partner fall to No. 3 seeds in W80 France doubles Last 8

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