Alex Eala notched a big win in her doubles career as she drubbed veterans Elina Svitolina and Venus Williams in Auckland for the ASB Classic.
Alex Eala and Iva Jovic rode the momentum of their tiebreak win in the opening over veterans Elina Svitolina and Venus Williams in the Round of 16 of the ASB Classic, 7-6(7), 6-1, in Auckland on Monday afternoon.
Eala and Jovic leaned on their youth to parry the pair of Svitolina and Williams — with the latter formerly ranked world no. 1 in women’s doubles.
The Filipino-American pair survived an uphill climb in the first set after they were down 3-5 after winning the first two games of the set.
But getting a crucial break point in the next game helped shift some momentum to their side. In Game 10, Eala and Jovic saved three set points to extend the set, 5-all, to get some breathing space against the more experienced netters.
Trailing anew at 5-6, Eala and Jovic once again saved three set points and climbed out of a 15-40 whole to force the tiebreak.
During the tiebreak, Eala and Jovic saved one more set point before ending the set at 9-7 on a 3-0 flurry.
In Set 2, the momentum was all on the younger pair’s side as they zoomed to a 4-0 lead.
Even as a break got Svitolina and Williams on the board, 4-1, Eala and Jovic broke right back to deny any comebacks.
Eala and Jovic face the winner of the match between Asia Muhammad and Erin Routliffe against ex-Eala doubles partner Renata Zarazúa and Jesika Malecková in the quarterfinals.
But before then, Eala kicks off her singles campaign against Paris Olympics silver medalist Donna Vekic.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.