Eala loses in singles but teams up with Gauff for doubles at Italian Open

Alex Eala, a 19-year-old Filipino tennis sensation ranked world No. 70, suffered an early exit from the Italian Open on Thursday, May 8 (Philippine time), losing to World No. 27 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine with a score of 6-0, 6-1.

Despite this loss, Eala will now shift her focus to the doubles tournament alongside American tennis star Coco Gauff, who is ranked world No. 3 by the Women's Tennis Association and won the 2023 US Open championship.

Eala and Gauff are set to compete against Fanny Stollar of Hungary and Alexandra Panova of Russia in the round-of-32 on Friday, May 9, with the exact schedule yet to be released.

Gauff is playing in the doubles first after gaining a bye in the singles of the Italian Open, while Eala previously lost to world No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the Madrid Open's Round of 64.

With every match, Eala continues to show growth, grit, and tenacity that has propelled her from Junior Grand Slam titles to the sport's highest levels.