Eala misses final in doubles

Alex Eala and Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok faltered in the last two sets to drop a 7-6(4), 3-6, 5-10 defeat to Poland’s Katarzyna Piter and Indonesia’s Janice Tjen in the WTA250 Guangzhou Open doubles semifinals yesterday at the Nansha International Tennis Center in China.

- By JOHN BRYAN ULANDAY

The duo wasted a 2-0 lead in the second set for a botched sweep bid after an escape act in the opener and could not regain the momentum from there, yielding a 3-9 start in the decider to miss out on a finals seat after almost two hours of play.

Eala’s exit in the doubles followed her first-round elimination in the singles as the No. 4 seed following a 6-2, 4-6, 4-6 upset against No. 305 and unseeded American qualifier Claire Liu.