Alex Eala bowed out of the Italian Open after a 6-4, 6-3 loss to world No. 2 Elena Rybakina in the Round of 32 on Sunday, May 10, at the Foro Italico.

The 20-year-old Filipina showed resilience against one of the tour’s top players, even taking a 2-1 lead in the second set, but ultimately could not sustain her challenge as Rybakina closed the match in one hour and 32 minutes.

Eala kept the opening set competitive before conceding a late break that handed Rybakina the advantage.

In the second set, Eala briefly seized momentum with an early lead, highlighting her improving clay-court form, but the Kazakh quickly regained control behind her powerful groundstrokes and steady service games.

The result ends another encouraging run for Eala in a WTA 1000 event, where she continues to gain experience against higher-ranked opponents as she builds toward the peak of the clay season.

Eala is set to continue her European campaign at the Internationaux de Strasbourg from May 17 to 23 in France, a key tune-up tournament ahead of the French Open, which begins May 24.