Alex Eala, Gauff off to smashing begin in Italian Open doubles

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FILE–The Philippines’ Alexandra Eala returns the ball to Poland’s Iga Swiatek throughout their 2025 WTA Tour Madrid Open tennis event second spherical singles match on the Caja Magica in Madrid, on April 24, 2025. (Photograph by Thomas COEX / AFP)

MANILA, Philippines — After an early exit within the Italian Open girls’s singles event, Alex Eala proved to be an excellent doubles accomplice to World No. 3 Coco Gauff of United States.

The duo of Eala and Gauff was off to a rousing begin after trouncing Fanny Stollar of Hungary and Alexandra Panova of Russia, 6-3, 6-1, within the Spherical of 32 on Saturday night (Manila time) in Rome.

READ: Alex Eala out in singles, joins Coco Gauff for Italian Open doubles

The Filipino and American tandem broke a 2-2 tie within the first set, cruising previous Stollar and Panova to win 4 of the final 5 video games to attract first blood.

The 19-year-old Eala and Gauff dropped the opening sport of the second set however they had been fast to get their act collectively, profitable six straight video games — with a dominant exhibiting within the final two — to advance to the subsequent spherical.

Eala, who not too long ago had a Cinderella run within the Miami Open beating three Grand Slam champions, is teaming up with Gauff, a 2023 US Open Champion and Italian Open titlist in the identical yr, for the primary time.

READ: Alex Eala continues rise in ranks forward of Italian Open

The Rafa Nadal Academy product is the primary Filipino to win Grand Slam ladies titles after ruling the US Open 2022 and a two-time junior doubles champion within the 2020 Australian Open and 2021 French Open.

The World No.70 Eala crashed out within the WTA 1000 Internazionali BNL d’Italia singles after getting dominated by Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, 6-0, 6-1, final Thursday.

The Filipino tennis sensation can be bracing for her girls’s Grand Slam most important draw debut within the Roland Garros beginning on Could 25.