Alex Eala during the Miami Open.–Photo from Alex Eala Facebook
MANILA, Philippines—Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala promised to bounce back and she kept her word.
Less than two weeks after failing to make the main draw of the Miami Open, Eala redeemed herself with a second doubles title this year.
Eala and her French partner Estelle Cascino ruled the W75 Croissy-Beaubourg tournament in France by topping French Jessica Pinchet and British Maia Lumsden, 7-5, 7-6(4), in the final.
READ: Alex Eala vows to come back stronger after Miami Open exit
Eala and Cascino reached the finale after cruising past Kira Pavlova and Luxembourg’s Marie Weckerle, 6-3, 6-3, in the semifinal.
The Filipino-French tandem also steamrolled Emily Appleton of Great Britain and Isabelle Haverlag of the Netherlands in the quarterfinal.
The Croissy-Beauborg trophy marks Eala’s second doubles crown this season after a successful campaign in the W50 Pune in India last January where she teamed up with Latvian Darja Semenistaja.
Eala and Cascino raced to a 3-0 lead in the opening set but needed to dig deeper and mount a comeback trailing 4-3 to Ponchet and Lumsden.
The duo also had to overcome a valiant effort from Ponchet and Lumsden in the second set before winning the match.
Earlier this month, Eala lost in the second round of the Miami Open qualifying after suffering from cramps midway through her match against Colombia’s Emiliana Arango while taking a 6-2, 5-3 advantage.