The Southeast Asian duo of the Philippines’ Alex Eala and Indonesia’s Janice Tjen outlasted the tandem of Canada’s Leylah Fernandez and France’s Kristina Mladenovic, 7-5, 3-6, 10-6, in a thrilling Round of 16 encounter at the WTA 500 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.
Southeast Asia Representing
Eala and Tjen are two of the best tennis players from Southeast Asia, and their first link-up has paid dividends already.
The Filipina sensation is now ranked No. 45 in the world, while the Indonesian pride is ranked No. 47. The two Southeast Asian aces brought diverse skill sets and plenty of talent to the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre, as well as a throng of fans.
The two, however, had a rough start, conceding an early break that put them down 0-2 in the opening set. Unfazed, Eala and Tjen quickly found their rhythm, tightening their service games and forcing longer rallies to claw back into contention. After trading holds deep into the set, the duo struck at the perfect moment, with Eala holding firm before she and Tjen broke Mladenovic to snatch the opener.
Fernandez and Mladenovic leaned on their experience in the second set, raising the tempo and dictating play from the baseline. Despite the Southeast Asian pair levelling early, the Canadian-French pair pulled away behind aggressive shot-making to take the frame and send the match into a decisive super tie-break.
Eala, Tjen Show Nerves of Steel in Decider
Momentum swung wildly in the decider. Eala and Tjen surged ahead with early mini-breaks to build a cushion, only to see Fernandez and Mladenovic erase the gap and force a tense 6-all deadlock. With the crowd firmly behind them, the Southeast Asian duo responded with poise, reeling off the final four points through sharp net play and confident groundstrokes to seal the upset.
The victory sends Eala and Tjen into the quarter-finals, where they will face either the Kichenok sisters of Ukraine or the pairing of Cristina Bucsa and Shuai Zhang.
For Eala, it capped a productive start in Abu Dhabi following her singles win earlier in the week, while Tjen extended her stay in the tournament after her singles exit.
