OPENING her jam-packed 2026 US Open campaign, Alex Eala and partner Felix Auger-Aliassime saw their mixed doubles journey cut short after falling to Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils, 1-4, 1-4, in the first round late Tuesday night, Manila time.
The 39-minute match used the mixed doubles’ FAST4 scoring format, where the first team to win four games takes the set.
Eala and Auger-Aliassime opened the match with a 1-0 lead, but Svitolina and Monfils quickly wrested control, rattling off four straight games to take the opening set, 4-1.
The Filipino world No. 18 and Canadian world No. 4 again managed to level the second set at 1-1, only for the veteran duo to pull away once more, winning the next three games to close out the match, 4-1.
READ: Alex Eala set for busy US Open campaign with three events
The loss ends Eala’s run in the mixed doubles event, but the Filipina still has two more appearances lined up at the final Grand Slam of the year.
Apart from the women’s singles, Eala is also set to play in the Stars of the Open exhibition, where she will face American Iva Jovic.
The draw and seeding for the singles main event are expected to be released in the coming days, with the US Open qualifiers still underway.
The US Open main draw is scheduled to begin on August 30.
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