MANILA -- Filipina tennis star Alex Eala and her partner, Katie Volynets of the United States, are out of the running in the doubles tournament of the 2025 Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal.
This, after a 3-6, 4-6 loss to the American pair of Christina Rosca and Carmen Corley on Wednesday.
While her campaign in doubles is over, Eala is still very much in contention in the singles draw.
The Filipina is the top seed in the WTA125 tournament, and she will take on world No. 137 Panna Udvardy of Hungary in the round-of-16.
Speaking after the match, Eala shared how much she’s enjoying her time in Portugal.
“I think Portugal is a very warm country, I love the food, it’s very vibrant, the courts are super nice, nice people,” she said.
She also expressed gratitude to the Filipino supporters who showed up to cheer her on:
“Super surprised they came out, this doesn’t happen often, but there are Filipinos everywhere in the world.”
In an Instagram post, Eala called the win a memorable one, as it marked her first tournament since breaking into the WTA Top 100— a milestone she achieved after her historic run at the Miami Open, where she defeated three Grand Slam champions.
Eala, ranked 72nd by the WTA, had advanced after sweeping Anouk Koevermans of the Netherlands, 6-3, 6-4, last Tuesday in a match that was affected by a rain delay.
READ: Alex Eala ousts Dutch foe, advances to round-of-16 in Portugal