DESPITE falling short in the singles, Alex Eala has continued her doubles run at the 2021 US Open Juniors in New York.
The Filipina teen tennis sensation, with partner Hanne Vandewinkel of Belgium, defeated American pair of Madison Sieg and Elizabeth Coleman, 6-1, 6(4)-7, 10-7, in the quarterfinals on Saturday morning, Philippine time, to march to the semifinals.
Alex Eala at the US Open Junior doubles semifinals
The sixth-seeded pair easily dominated the first set, gaining a 3-0 advantage from the get-go, before the foes managed to score a game at 3-1. But Eala and Vandewinkel easily sustained their momentum and won straight in games five, six, and seven to take the set.
In the following set, though, the dueling sides saw three ties, with the last at 6-6. The home bets dominated the tiebreak to force the series to a decider that Eala, 16, and Vandewinkel, 17, eventually won.
The match lasted for an hour and 23 minutes.
They will now move to the semifinals, facing another American duo, Elvina Kalieva and Reese Brantmeier, who are seeded eighth.
Eala is looking to bag her third Grand Slam doubles title after her wins at the 2020 Australian Open and the 2021 French Open.
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