Alexandra Eala was on fire, but Ukrainian netter Marta Kostyuk’s composure turned it off with a 6-0, 6-1, beating on a crisp Wednesday night at the opening round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia’s Tennis Tournament in Rome.
The 19-year-old Filipinas sensation fell in their 62-minute encounter, with Kostyuk consoling Eala afterwards.
“I told her at the net, ‘It’s a rough road, but you’ve got it. Just enjoy it,” said Kostyuk in a post-game interview posted on social media.
Eala was unable to break Kostyuk’s game as the Ukrainian converted six of her 17 break points, and fired 19 winners to Eala’s three.
Kostyuk, who is unseeded, will next meet Russian-Australian pro and 14th seed Daria Kasatskina in the second round.
But for her efforts, Eala will bring home 10 points and 13,150 euros, or around P825,320.
The 22-year old Kostyuk said she remembered the time when she was still starting during her match with Eala.
“I was thinking about it when I was playing my match today. I was like, ‘Wow,’ you know? Like, she’s going to make it. She’s going to be here, around. But it’s just, when you are young and you go through these kinds of days like you had today. Obviously, I could see she was struggling, and she didn’t feel good in these conditions. We all have those days,” she said of her game with Eala.
“I particularly didn’t play good in Rome or Madrid ever! Everything is new, so it’s a difficult time. I would not want to be young again, to be honest,” added Kostyuk added.
Earlier, Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, advanced with a 7-5, 6-7(1), 6-3, victory over Maya Joint.
And so did Croatian qualifier Antonia Ruzic, who defeated wildcard Tyra Caterina Grant 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
