Alex Eala’s debut in the Italian Open ended in a tough straight-sets loss in the Round of 128, falling to No. 27 seed Marta Kostyuk, 6–0, 6–1.
Authoritative Win by Kostyuk
This marks Eala’s second clay-court tournament of the season, following her appearance at the Oeiras Open in Portugal last month.
Despite a positive update in the WTA rankings—where the 19-year-old Filipina rose from No. 72 to No. 70 earlier this week—Kostyuk, the 2023 ATX Open champion, showcased her experience and dominance to cruise past Eala.
With this win, the 22-year-old Ukrainian advances to the next round, where she will face Canada’s No. 26, Leylah Fernandez.
Goal Remains the Same: Doubles Match
Although it’s an early singles exit for Eala, the young star now shifts her focus to the doubles draw, where she teams up with World No. 3 Coco Gauff.
Gauff has reached the doubles final in Rome twice—once with Jessica Pegula in 2023 and again with Erin Routliffe in 2024—but is still searching for her first title at the tournament. Earlier this year, she claimed her maiden Grand Slam trophy in women’s doubles at the French Open.
Eala, no stranger to success in doubles, previously won Junior Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open (2020) and French Open (2021).
The new pairing of Eala and Gauff opens their campaign in the Round of 32 against Alexandra Panova and Fanny Stollar. Their match is scheduled for Friday, May 10 (Philippine time).
