DUBBED the “SEAsters,” Alex Eala and Janice Tjen barged into the WTA500 Mubadala Abu Dhabi women’s doubles semifinals after stunning second seeds Cristina Bucsa of Spain and Zhang Shuai of China, 6-3, 6-3, early Friday morning (Manila time).
It was a swift and a sweet turnaround for Eala, who returned to court less than an hour after her singles campaign ended with a loss at the hands of second seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, 3-6, 3-6.
READ World No. 11 Alexandrova ends Eala's impressive run at Abu Dhabi
Eala is ranked No. 45 in singles and No. 136 in doubles while Indonesian Tjen is at No. 68, but the pair surprisingly had their way against their seeded opponents. Bucsa is the world No. 22 in doubles while Zhang is even higher at No. 7.
The breakthrough run continues as the pair advance to face fourth seeds Tereza Mihalikova of Slovakia and Olivia Nicholls of Great Britain in the semifinals, with the schedule yet to be determined.
Showing little sign of fatigue, the Filipina regrouped quickly and made task No. 2 a resounding success alongside Tjen.
The opening set saw the Southeast Asian duo seize early control, racing to a 3-0 lead before Bucsa and Zhang briefly steadied at 3-2. Eala and Tjen, however, calmly served out to take the first set.
With momentum fully on their side, the SEAsters, who are partnering for the first time in their professional careers, again jumped out front at 3-0 before the veterans took two consecutive games to narrow the gap to 3-2.
Tjen and Eala, though, quickly reasserted control at 5-2. The seeded pair managed to pull another game before Tjen and Eala locked it in.
The match lasted just a little over an hour.
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