MANILA, Philippines – In the city that never sleeps, Christina Buxar wished Filipino tennis star Alex Ella a good night and sweet dreams at the US Open.
Ella lost to Spaniard Buxar 4-6, 3-6 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York, early Thursday morning (Manila time).
It was a surprising victory for the world No. 95 Buxar, who defeated the world No. 75 in one hour and 22 minutes in the final Grand Slam tournament of the year.
Ella won the seventh game of the first set to lead 4-3, but then collapsed.
But Buxar won three consecutive games to easily take the first set 6-4.
In the second set, the two players exchanged points, with the Nadal Academy Scholar leveling the score at 3-3.
But the 27-year-old showed incredible composure, defying the crowd’s enthusiastic cheers to win three games in a row. In the ninth game, she broke Ella’s serve to seal the victory.
Buxa hit three service aces, while the Filipina made just one. Buxa committed only 12 errors, while the Filipina made 21.
The Spanish player will face either Elise Martens or Sun Lulu in the third round of the tournament.
However, Ella will not leave empty-handed. She will receive a prize of $154,000, or 8.8 million pesos.
