Late night of June 2 (PH Date and Time), Alex Eala and her partner Rebeka Masarova suffered an early exit in the WTA 125 Birmingham Doubles against the Australian duo of Ellen Perez and Storm Hunter.
Eala and Masarova Fall to Experienced Aussie Pair
No. 73 Eala and No. 121 Masarova will be sharing the tennis court for the first time in their careers against a formidable opponent who has previously played 4 consecutive tournaments together in Hunter-Perez.
Eala and Masarova couldn’t sustain their early momentum in a match that wrapped up in just over an hour.
After taking a 2-1 lead, the duo lost their grip when they were broken in the ninth game of the opening set. Perez and Hunter capitalized on the shift, stringing together back-to-back games to clinch the first set and swing the momentum in their favor.
The No. 2 seed Australian pair came out strong in the second set, quickly building a commanding 4-0 lead. Eala and Masarova mounted a brief comeback, cutting the deficit to 4-3 with three consecutive games of their own.
Still, Perez and Hunter responded with composure, holding serve for a 5-3 edge. Though Eala and Masarova managed to stay alive by holding serve, the Aussies closed the door in the following game to seal the win.
Final Score: 6-4, 6-4
This early exit from the Philippine tennis superstar has become somewhat evident in the last couple of WTA tournaments she participated in after her historical Miami Open run.
Payback Time in Singles Match
If there’s one constant thing we’ve seen in this 2025, it’s that Alex does not go get an early exit in BOTH Singles and Doubles tournaments.
She may not have found the winning hit in the doubles, but you can safely assume that she’s going to give a way better performance in the singles round as she is set to face world No. 152 Linda Fruhvirtova of the Czech Republic.
Their match will happen later today, June 3 (PH Date). Alex is not only looking to bounce back after her early exit in the Doubles, but also her disappointing 1st round loss in the recent Grand Slam Roland Garros in France last week.
According to Dyan Castillejo of ABS-CBN, Alex Eala is sharpening her form ahead of her much-anticipated debut in the Wimbledon women’s singles main draw later this month. Last year, she made it as far as the third round of the qualifying stages.
