QUICK to make their presence felt in Auckland, Alex Eala and Iva Jovic battled past veterans Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina, 7-6(7), 6-1, to jumpstart their ASB Classic campaign in New Zealand, on Monday.
The younger pair, aged 20 and 18, saved a total of eight set points in the extended opening set and looked in synch in the debut of their doubles partnership against the duo led by Williams, a winner of 7 grand slam singles and 14 grand slam doubles titles.
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Eala and Jovic stayed sharp in the second set, limiting the the former world No. 1 and the world No. 15 Svitolina to just a single game on the way to sealing the win in an hour and 29 minutes.
The opening victory enabled the pair to punch their ticket to the doubles quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of the match pitting top seeds Desirae Muhammad and Erin Routliffe against Tereza Maleckova and Renata Zarazua.
It marked the first time the Filipina ranked No. 53 by the WTA and the American world No. 35, partnered in a professional tournament.
In singles action, third seed Jovic advanced to the round of 16 at the ASB Classic after an opening-round win over Czech Republic’s Gabriela Knutson, while fourth seed Eala is set to face Donna Vekic on Tuesday morning.
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