The road to the Abu Dhabi Open doubles quarterfinals won’t be easy for Alex Eala and Janice Tjen, as the duo are on a collision course with Leylah Fernandez and Kristina Mladenovic.
After a strong start in the singles event, Alex Eala is quickly turning her focus to doubles at the Abu Dhabi Open.
The 20-year-old Filipina teams up with Indonesian Janice Tjen to face the fellow unseeded duo of Leylah Fernandez and Kristina Mladenovic in the Round of 16 on Tuesday, February 3 (PH time).
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Serving is estimated for 9:10 p.m., Philippine time.
Eala hopes to carry the momentum from her 6-4, 6-3 singles victory, while Tjen comes off a hard-fought win of her own after saving four set points before ousting world No. 29 Maya Joint.
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But Fernandez and Mladenovic present a formidable challenge for the Southeast Asian pairing.
The Fil-Canadian Fernandez reached the 2021 US Open final and advanced to the 2023 French Open doubles championship round with American partner Taylor Townsend.
Mladenovic is a decorated doubles player herself, boasting four Roland Garros titles, two Australian Open crowns, and an impressive mixed doubles resume
A win would not only send Eala and Tjen into the quarterfinals but also set up a showdown with the winner of the intriguing match between Ukrainian twins Nadiia and Lyudmyla Kichenok and the second-seeded pair of Zhang Shuai and Cristina Bucsa of Spain.
(With reports from Pao Ambat)
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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]