By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala and American Coco Gauff came close to ousting defending champions Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini at the 2025 Italian Open with another entertaining show that once again delighted their fans.
Too bad, luck went the other way at the most crucial moments of the game and absorbed a 7-5, 3-6, 10-7 loss in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, May 14 (early Thursday, Philippine time).
The unseeded Eala and Gauff bounced back from an opening-set loss by taking over the second frame to extend the match into a decider, only to stumble in the pivotal moments of the one hour, 36-minute duel.
Eala and Gauff even managed to tie the score at 4-all, but the third-seeded Errani and Paolini, who are also the reigning Olympic champions, displayed experience by first seizing the 7-6 lead before eventually claiming the match.
Chemistry was largely credited for the victory of the reigning champions.
Still, Eala and Gauff earned raves for giving their fans a real entertainment, what with their aggressive plays and resolve seldom seen for first-time partners.
A victory for Eala and Gauff could have set them up a semifinal encounter with sixth seed Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider, who stunned top seed Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe, 6-2, 4-6, 11-9.
Despite the defeat, Eala and Gauff are assured of 43,560 euros (around P2.7 million).
