Eala, American partner suffer early exit in French Open doubles

FILE – Filipino tennis player Alex Eala. Photo from Rafael Nadal Academy

MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala and her American partner Elvina Kalieva bowed out in the opening round of the 2020 Roland Garros girls’ doubles tournament Tuesday in Paris, France.

The third-seeded duo fell, 5-7, 6-2, 7-10, to the Italian pair of Eleonora Alvisi and Lisa Pagato.

Eala and Kalieva strung up three consecutive points to knot it at 6-6 in the tiebreaker.

But Alvisi and Pigato kept their composure and regained control with three unanswered points of their own.

The 15-year-old Eala, who won her first juniors Grand Slam title in the 2020 Australian Open when he teamed up with Indonesia’s Priska Nugroho, still has a chance to win a second Grand Slam in the girls singles event.

Eala is set to play Leyre Romero Gormaz of Spain in the third.