By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala’s journey at the Australian Open officially ended on Tuesday, Jan. 20, after she and Ingrid Martins bowed out in the opening round of their women’s doubles match.
Eala and Martins bounced back from a tight opening set but couldn’t sustain their momentum in the deciding third, falling to Magda Linette and Shuko Aoyama, 6- 7 (3), 6-3, 3-6.
The Filipina-Brazilian pair started strong, racing to a 4-0 lead and later on holding a 5-3 advantage, only to see the opening set slip away.
They staged an impressive comeback in the second set to force a decider, but Linette and Aoyama’s experience — with Linette being a 2021 French Open doubles semifinalist and Aoyama a 2023 Australian Open doubles finalist — proved decisive in the end.
With Eala’s doubles loss, which came a day after also losing in the opening round singles against Alycia Parks, the 20-year-old Filipina tennis sensation is expected to see action in the inaugural WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open slated at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center next week.
