Alex Eala yields to more experienced Fernandez in Stuttgart opener

Alex Eala saw her campaign at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix come to an abrupt end after absorbing a 1-6, 4-6, loss to Leylah Fernandez in the opening round on Wednesday, April 15, in Stuttgart, Germany. In a battle of two left-handers, the 25th-ranked Fernandez — a Canadian of Filipino descent — proved steadier and more aggressive, using her experience to dispatch Eala. Eala, ranked No. 45 in the world, got off to a sluggish start as Fernandez, a 2021 US Open finalist, dictated the tempo early with sharp hitting to race to a 5-0 lead. The Filipina managed to get on the board by holding her serve at 5-1, but couldn’t build on it as Fernandez closed out the set in the following game. Showing her range, Fernandez seized control early in the second set, breaking Eala twice to build a 5-2 lead. The Filipina, however, refused to go quietly, settling into a rhythm and finally breaking Fernandez in the eighth game before taking the next to trim the deficit to 4-5. But Fernandez quickly regained control, holding serve to close out the match in one hour and 28 minutes.