Eala proud of first Wimbledon performance

(UPDATE)ALEX Eala may not have made it to the Wimbledon main draw but she's proud of the high level of play she displayed in her first go in the England tournament.

Eala's bid to become the first Filipino female netter to play in a Grand Slam main draw ended when she fell to Kiwi Lulu Sun, 6-7 (3), 5-7, in the third and final round of the qualifiers on June 27.

"What a way to experience my first Wimbledon! Proud to have reached the final round of qualifying playing a great level of tennis," Eala wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday.

"Thank you so much to the Filipinos who supported and watched my games. You are my inspiration in every victory! My first grass court season as a professional has officially come to an end. Super excited with my progress and looking forward to better things ahead."

Ranked 162nd in the world, Eala opened the qualifiers with a 7-6 (1), 6-4 win over French Jessica Ponchet on June 25.

The 19-year-old then outlasted Slovenian Tamara Zidanšek, 1-6, 7-6 (9), 6-3, in a match that lasted two hours and 33 minutes on June 26 in the second round before succumbing to Sun in the final round.

Last May, Eala also fell a win short of making it to the main draw of the French Open as she yielded to Argentine Julia Riera, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4.

Eala will have one more crack at that historic Grand Slam main draw appearance this year at the US Open in August. NIEL VICTOR C. MASOY