Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala at the Philippine Women's Open. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News
MANILA – Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala is looking at the silver lining of her performance despite exiting in the Philippine Women's Open quarterfinals.
Colombia's Camila Osorio spoiled Eala's campaign to win the first "home" tournament on Thursday, beating the hometown bet in two sets, 6-4, 6-4.
Eala admitted she could have done better, but she said she gave it her all, especially since she had the home crowd rallying behind her.
"I think there were certain aspects of my game that just didn't show up today. I think there were certain things I really could have done better, but it doesn't have to be a big deal," she said at the post-match press conference.
"I think I have some good things to take away as well from this week in general. But yeah, we take it in our stride and move on. I just do my best to learn from what I can this match," the 20-year-old added.
READ: Alex Eala hopes local tennis gets a boost after Philippine Women's Open
Eala spoke highly about Osorio's performance in their first encounter in their careers.
"I think Camila, well, she's a very consistent player. I also think that she's very smart on court. So I think she changed the rhythms, and she never really allowed me to be in a comfortable position. Which in the end is everyone's goal, you know, is to make the other person uncomfortable," she said.
"But I think she executed really well. And yeah, I definitely think I had my chances in some moments. But today she played better than me in those moments. And I think that's just something I can work on moving forward," Eala added.
READ: Camila Osorio tips hat to Alex Eala after PWO quarterfinals win: 'She's a great competitor'
While the loss may be a tough pill to swallow, Eala said she will bring the lessons she learned moving forward in the rest of the WTA Tour season.
"I think a part of this journey is learning to be self-aware in terms of knowing what I need to do to kind of step back and regroup. Because in tennis, you lose a lot, and some losses are going to be more difficult than others. So it's something, I guess, you have to manage. And yeah, it's tough, and it's just different in every situation for me," she explained.
As she flies out for the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, Eala said her goals remain the same, as well as her mindset to take things "one match at a time."
Eala will next play at the WTA 500 tournament as a wildcard in the main draw.