PARIS, FRANCE: Alexandra Eala recently made history by becoming the first Filipino woman to win a Grand Slam main draw match at the Roland-Garros. Together with her Mexican partner, Renata Zarazua, the pair successfully secured a doubles victory to move forward to the second round of the women’s doubles tournament.
Eala, 20, and Zarazua, 27, defeated Emily Appleton of Great Britain and Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers of Spain in straight sets, with a final scoreline of 7-5, 6-4.
With this, Eala expressed: “It’s so heartwarming… Of course, it’s always good to come back and compete well after a singles loss, especially after a tight one.”
She added: “I’m feeling good, it’s my debut in Grand Slam doubles, so I’m feeling happy to be playing with Renata and to have my first Slam win.”
Previously, Eala encountered an early exit in her Grand Slam main draw debut. She was defeated by Emiliana Arango of Colombia in the first round of the singles competition with a final scoreline of 0-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Regardless of the unfortunate outcome for the singles event, she demonstrated her determination and resilience as she bounced back in the doubles event and created a historic moment for Philippine tennis.
In a social media post, Eala shared: “First Grand Slam main draw in the books!📚 Back to the drawing board for now, but will come back stronger next time. See you for doubles @rolandgarros 🧡”
Netizens expressed their love and support by commenting: “Keep going, Alex 💪🏆. We believe in you 🏆”, “You got PLENTY of tournament coming your way… you go this! 🤗💪🏼🇵🇭🔥”, “Just enjoy your tennis journey, Alex. You owe us nothing. We are just your cheerers from afar. We want you to succeed while enjoying each and every game. No other Filipino tennis player has reached your level. 🙌🏻🔥🇵🇭”, and “more and more coming ur way! This is only a stepping stone 💪🙂↕️”.
All about the partnership
Eala admitted that she and Zarazua had planned to team up ahead of the tournament. Eala shared: “First time kami mag-partner dito pero magkaibigan naman kami nang matagal, maganda ang chemistry namin sa court (This is our first time partnering here, but we’ve been friends for a long time. We have good chemistry on the court). All the time smiling. Good vibes,” she said. “We’ve tried a few times, but in the end, didn’t push through. So happy to be here with her.”
Following their win, the pair will now have an intense match against Serbia’s Olga Danilovic and Russia’s Anastasia Potapova, a strong team known for playing well on the clay surface.