ALEX Eala finally nailed her first doubles title as a professional as she and Latvian partner Darja Semenistaja ruled the women’s doubles tournament at the W50 Pune tiff in India on Saturday.
They beat top-seeded pair Naiktha Bains and Fanny Stollar, 7-6(8), 6-3, in what was only Eala’s second shot at a pro doubles title.
She previously fell short of the chip in the W25 Platja d’Aro back in May 2021 with Russian partner Oksana Selekhmeteva.
Eala and Semenistaja emerged victorious in the 1-hour 14-minute netfest after successfully playing catch up in the opening set.
The pair also rallied back from a 0-3 start in the tiebreak to swing momentum to their side of the court.
The first set win buoyed the duo in the second frame where they zoomed to a 5-2 lead and never looked back.
The 18-year-old thus improved her career winnings to a total of five ITF titles — four of which came from singles tournaments.
Elsewhere in India, compatriot Francis Casey Alcantara also clinched the men's doubles title in the M25 Chennai with Indonesian partner Christopher Rungkat.
They were the top seed in the tournament and beat Adil Kalyanpur and Bogdan Bobrov, 6-4, 6-2, in the final.
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