It was a magical run whereas it lasted within the singles draw, however Alex Eala can nonetheless proceed to carry loads of delight to Filipino followers within the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open — alongside fellow Southeast Asian sensation Janice Tjen.
Simply an hour after her solo marketing campaign got here to an finish with a 6-3, 6-3 loss to second seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, Eala switched gears to workforce up with Indonesian rising star Tjen — with the duo proceedings to ship an announcement efficiency within the doubles quarterfinals.
The pair, who’ve been dubbed — and have fortunately accepted — their ‘SEAsters’ moniker in reference to the shared area of origin, dominated second seeds Zhang Shuai and Cristina Bucșa — cruising to a 6-3, 6-3 win to punch their ticket into the semifinals of a WTA 500 occasion for the primary time of their careers.
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It’s price noting that Zhang is a three-time Grand Slam champion, and as not too long ago as eventually month’s Australian Open, whereas Bucșa was a bronze medalist on the 2024 Olympic Video games — albeit each with totally different companions.
There was additionally a component of revenge for Eala because it was Bucșa who ended her hopes within the second spherical of final 12 months’s US Open, after the previous had turn out to be the primary participant from the Philippines to win a singles match in the principle draw of a Grand Slam.
Fast begins proved decisive in each units, as Eala and Tjen struck early with consecutive breaks to surge forward 3-0 on every event. That early cushion allowed them to dictate play, mixing sharp internet protection with regular baseline exchanges to maintain their extra skilled opponents at bay.
Whereas Zhang and Bucșa tried to claw their method again, the Southeast Asian duo persistently shut the door, holding agency in key moments to shut out every set with out drama.
The win not solely highlighted Eala’s rising consolation at this stage but additionally underscored the chemistry she shares with Tjen, because the pair confirmed poise effectively past their years.
Advancing to the ultimate 4 marks a breakthrough end result for each gamers and one other significant step ahead for Southeast Asian illustration on the WTA stage.
Subsequent up for the pairing is a semifinal conflict in opposition to fourth seeds Tereza Mihalíková and Olivia Nicholls.
Earlier, a day after a surprising victory within the spherical of 16 in opposition to Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Eala suffered defeat in opposition to world No. 11 Alexandrova within the singles’ quarterfinals.
Alexandrova set the tone early, breaking serve within the opening set to take management and ultimately construct a 5-2 cushion. Eala confirmed grit by holding serve and lengthening the set, however the Russian closed it out at 6-3 with little room for error.
Eala opened the second set along with her first lead of the match, holding serve to go up 1-0, however Alexandrova shortly responded with an early break to regain momentum. The Filipino managed to remain inside putting distance, together with a key maintain and a short impasse at 3-all after incomes a break alternative.
Nevertheless, Alexandrova raised her stage when it mattered most, breaking again and sealing the match with authority to advance, denying Eala a comeback regardless of her late resistance.
