Filipino tennis prodigy and Globe Ambassador Alex Eala bid to win a second consecutive title took a bump after she lost in the quarterfinals of the Rafael Nadal Academy ITF World Tennis Tournament’s second leg in Manacor, Mallorca in Spain.

Eala yielded to tournament number 7 seed Ylena In-Albon of Switzerland, 6-0, 6-3. The 21-year-old In-Albon asserted her will against Eala right in the opening set, breaking the Filipina’s serve in the first frame before taking the set, 6-0.

In-Albon raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set and appeared to coast for victory but Eala made a comeback to tie the game at 3-all.  The Swiss, however, racked the next three games to beat the 15-year-old Filipina and advance to the last 4.

Eala, a Globe Ambassador since 2013, is coming off to her first-ever singles title in the ITF with a win in the first leg of the tournament. She is the first Filipina to win a crown in the ITF since 2015.

Currently ranked number 3 in the ITF juniors, Eala is a scholar at the Rafa Nadal Academy. The Filipina is expected to improve from her present rank of 1,190th in the Women’s Tennis Association and 1,670th in the ITF.

She will get another crack at a title when the third leg of the ITF tournament gets in full swing next week.