Eala, Gauff advance to Italian Open doubles round-of-16

Alex Eala and Coco Gauff advanced to the Italian Open doubles round-of-16 with a dominant 6-3, 6-1 victory over Alexandra Panova and Fanny Stollar on Saturday (Manila time).

Their match lasted approximately an hour as Eala and Gauff quickly asserted their dominance after a close start in the first set.

Eala's doubles win comes after her early exit from the singles competition following a loss to Marta Kostyuk earlier in the tournament, while Gauff will continue her singles campaign on Sunday when she faces Poland's Magda Linette in the Round of 32.

Despite initial concerns about their chemistry as they faced Panova and Stollar, a pair who plays doubles exclusively in the WTA Tour, Eala and Gauff quickly established control, with Eala breaking Panova's serve early to take a 2-0 lead.

The Filipina-American tandem maintained their dominance throughout the match, securing their place against Danilina and Khromacheva, who are seventh seeds and heavy favorites in the next round.