Fresh off her historic singles victory earlier in the day, Alex Eala returned to the courts at Wimbledon for women’s doubles action alongside Czech partner Nikola Bartunkova. However, the young duo fell short against experienced eighth seeds Sofia Kenin and Jeļena Ostapenko, absorbing a 6-3, 3-6, 1-6 defeat in the opening round early Friday morning.
Filipina-Czech Connection in Full Display
Coming in with confidence, the Filipina-Czech pair stormed to a blazing 3-0 start in the opening set. Eala and Bartunkova attacked aggressively on returns, controlled the net effectively, and capitalized on open spaces to pressure the seeded pair from the beginning.
Kenin and Ostapenko managed to recover two games, but Eala and Bartunkova maintained their composure and continued dictating rallies. The younger tandem eventually secured the first set after building a commanding 5-2 cushion.
Experienced Opponents Respond in Second Set
The second set proved far more competitive as both teams traded quick exchanges and momentum swings early on.
Eala and Bartunkova initially grabbed another advantage at 2-1, but the experienced Kenin and Ostapenko quickly regrouped. The eighth seeds responded with sharper serving and more consistent baseline play, leveling the set before taking control during the middle stretch.
A crucial sequence saw the American-Latvian duo win four straight games to turn a close contest into a 5-2 lead. Although Eala and Bartunkova fought back to extend the set at 5-3 and even threatened to break again, Kenin and Ostapenko stayed steady under pressure and closed out the frame, 6-3, to force a deciding set.
The momentum had clearly shifted by that point, with the veteran pair beginning to dominate service games and longer rallies.
Kenin and Ostapenko Pull Away in Decider
The final set quickly tilted in favor of the eighth seeds. Kenin and Ostapenko carried their momentum into the decider and immediately raced to a 3-0 advantage behind powerful serving and aggressive returning.
Eala and Bartunkova briefly stopped the run by getting on the scoreboard at 3-1, but it would be their final game of the match. From there, the experienced duo completely took over. Ostapenko and Kenin controlled the pace from the baseline and limited errors while continuing to pressure the younger tandem’s serve.
After one hour and 53 minutes, the seeded pair completed the comeback victory with a dominant 6-1 closing set to advance into the second round.
Eala Turns Full Attention to Singles Campaign
Their opening-round loss was similar to what Eala and Bartunkova had suffered back at the Lexus Birmingham Open, where the pair was eliminated by Harriet Dart and Maia Lumsden.
The defeat ended Eala’s doubles run at Wimbledon, but the Filipina still has plenty to look forward to in singles after reaching the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career earlier that day.
Alex Eala Next Match
Singles (Third Round)
Alex Eala vs. Iga Swiatek
Tournament: Wimbledon
Date: Saturday, July 4 (Time to be determined.)
