1-2! Zheng Qinwen knocked out by 21-year-old Philippine rising star in Washington first round, losing seven straight games in a collapse.

In a highly anticipated first-round match at the WTA500 Washington Open, which concluded on July 29 Beijing time, Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen was defeated after a hard-fought three-set battle, falling 1-2 to world No. 28, Philippine rising star Eala, and missing out on a spot in the round of 16.

Zheng had previously defeated the 21-year-old Eala at the Hangzhou Asian Games, but the latter has improved rapidly in recent years. In this rematch, Zheng got off to a decent start. In the first set, Zheng trailed 0-2 early and faced a 0-40 deficit in the third game, but she staged a comeback to win 6-4 and take the first set.

However, Zheng failed to sustain her good form. In the second set, Zheng was leading 4-3 overall but then dropped three consecutive games, allowing Eala to level the match with a 6-4 victory.

In the third set, Zheng found herself in a 0-4 hole early on. In the fifth game, Zheng managed to break back for one game. After that, Eala broke and held serve in succession, winning two straight games to take the deciding set 6-1. Ultimately, Zheng, who had lost seven consecutive games at one point, was reversed by her opponent with a total score of 1-2, regrettably exiting in the first round.

Throughout the match, Zheng hit 14 aces but also committed 6 double faults, with a first-serve percentage of 48%, a first-serve win percentage of 66%, a second-serve win percentage of 35%, 35 winners, and as many as 46 unforced errors. She had 11 break points but only converted 4.

After being eliminated in the first round at this event, Zheng will next compete in the WTA1000 Toronto women's singles qualifying tournament.