Alex Eala and Venus Williams’ second try at playing together didn’t last much longer as the wild-card pair fell to Liudmila Samsonova and Miyu Kato, 6-4, 6-3, in the Round of 32 of the National Bank Open in Toronto on Friday. The loss closed out the Filipino-American duo’s doubles campaign.
They didn’t go quietly, though. Eala and Williams pulled the opening set level at 4-4 with a break of their own, only to watch Samsonova and Kato find another gear entirely as the Russian-Japanese pair reeled off six straight games from there to close out the first set and take firm control of the match.
Samsonova, Kato Close Out Eala, Williams
The second set followed a similar shape, just compressed. Eala and Williams found themselves down 4-0 before answering with back-to-back games, including a break, to claw back within 4-2. Samsonova and Kato broke straight back to move a game away from the win, but the Filipino-American duo weren’t quite finished, breaking again to stay alive at 5-3. It wasn’t enough. Samsonova and Kato served the match out from there.
The crowd, by most accounts, wasn’t on their side. Center court leaned heavily toward Eala and Williams throughout, but Samsonova made clear afterward that she and Kato had a good time regardless.
“We had a lot of fun. It was a really great atmosphere tonight. It’s always great to play in such a big court,” Samsonova said, adding that she enjoys partnering with Kato in particular because of how little pressure she feels playing alongside her.
For Williams, the loss closes out a tough return to Toronto. She’d already exited in singles, falling to Kamilla Rakhimova in the Round of 128 the previous Monday—meaning her week in Canada ends with two matches played and two matches lost, doubles included. Eala, meanwhile, will stay on as she will next face Caty McNally in singles competition. The Filipina, who is coming off a championship run at the Mubadala DC Open, is looking to make another deep run in Toronto.
Alex Eala Next Match
WTA 1000 National Bank Open
Main Draw — Round of 32 — Singles
Alex Eala vs. Caty McNally
August 8, Saturday — (Time to be determined)
