By KRISTEL SATUMBGA
Alex Eala’s French Open campaign came to an end late Friday, May 30, after she and Renata Zarazua yielded in the second round of the women’s doubles.
The unseeded Filipino-Mexican pair absorbed a 6-1, 6-3 beating from the hands of Olga Danilovic and Anastasia Potapova in a match that only lasted 65 minutes.
Drawing strength from their three-set upset victory over American seventh seed Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk, the Russian-Serbian tandem rushed to a 4-1 lead en route to claiming the opening frame.
Danilovic and Potapova resumed their dominance early in the second set by seizing a 4-0 advantage before Eala and Zarazua showed signs of life, winning the next two games to cut their deficit to 4-2.
Danilovic and Potapova, however held their serves on the seventh game to gain the needed 5-2 edge but Eala and Zarazua fought back to win the eighth game.
However, it turned out to be the duo’s last stand as the Russian-Serbian pair snared the ninth game and eventually the match.
Despite the early defeat, Eala managed to clinch her first-ever Grand Slam main draw victory after she and Zarazua prevailed over British Emily Appleton and Spaniard Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers, 7-5, 6-4, in the opening round a few days ago.
Prior to that, she lost her first-round singles match to Colombian Emiliana Arango in three sets.
