ROME, Italy—An on-fire Alexandra Eala was handed a cold dose of reality in chilly conditions Wednesday night at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, losing 6-0, 6-1 to Marta Kostyuk in the first round.
The 19-year-old from the Philippines had been the story of the last few months, surging into the Miami Open quarterfinals with a win over world No. 2 Iga Swiatek and nearly repeating the feat two weeks ago at the Mutua Madrid Open. But Kostyuk, also unseeded but a former world No. 16, has her own history as a junior phenom and found herself relating to the ups and downs both Eala and others like her appear in for after winning in just over an hour on Grand Stand Arena.
“I feel sorry for them, to be honest,” said Kosytuk, a former junior Australian Open champion who won her first WTA main-draw match at 15 years old.
Following that third-round appearance at the 2018 Australian Open, Kostyuk struggled to crack the Top 100 before ultimately adjusting to the spotlight's glare and coming into her own later on in her teens, reaching the second week of 2021 Roland Garros. She kicked off last season with a run to the Australian Open quarterfinals and reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal at the 2024 BNP Paribas Open.