The duo of Alex Eala and Victoria Mboko will face the tandem of Leylah Fernandez and Diana Shnaider in the opening round of the Roland Garros women’s doubles tournament.
Interestingly, this will mark the first time that all four players will compete alongside their respective doubles partners.
Fernandez and Shnaider: Dark Horse to Win in Doubles
Both Leylah Fernandez and Diana Shnaider have already proven in the past that they are capable of making deep runs in doubles tournaments. And despite never having played together before, their individual résumés suggest that they could emerge as dark horses to win the title.
The 24-year-old Fernandez may still be searching for her first doubles championship, but she has already reached five finals in her career and remains eager to end that title drought. The world No. 81 in doubles currently holds a 1–2 record in clay-court doubles matches this season. In those three matches, she partnered with Fanny Stollár during the WTA 500 Stuttgart Open and the WTA 1000 Madrid Open.
At Roland Garros, Fernandez has compiled an impressive 13–1 doubles record over the last five years. Her deepest run came in 2023, when she reached the finals alongside Taylor Townsend. Last year, she exited in the second round while partnering with Emma Navarro.
Meanwhile, Shnaider has enjoyed even greater success in doubles this season. The 22-year-old Russian owns a 9–1 record this year and recently captured the Italian Open doubles championship alongside Mirra Andreeva, winning five straight matches to claim the title. During the Madrid Open, the world No. 18 in doubles also reached the finals with Andreeva before falling to the formidable tandem of Kateřina Siniaková and Taylor Townsend.
Shnaider made her Roland Garros doubles debut only last year, where she and Andreeva advanced all the way to the semifinals and finished with a 4–1 record.
Given the recent success and experience of both Fernandez and Shnaider, it would not be surprising to see the duo make another deep run in the tournament.
Alex Eala and Victoria Mboko are expected to put up a great fight, althought they are coming in as heavy underdogs in this upcoming match.
Alex Eala Next Matches
Tournament: Roland Garros / French Open 2026
Match: Alex Eala vs. Iva Jovic (Singles First Round)
Date: Monday, May 25, 2026
Time: To be decided
Tournament: Roland Garros / French Open 2026
Match: Alex Eala an Victoria Mboko vs. Leylah Fernandez and Diana Shnaider (Doubles First Round)
Date: Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Time: To be decided
