AFTER an early exit in singles, Alex Eala’s 2026 Australian Open campaign also came to a close in the women’s doubles as she and partner Ingrid Martins bowed to Shuko Aoyama and Magda Linette, 6(3)-7, 6-2, 1-6, on Tuesday night at Court 14 of Melbourne Park after two hours and 38 minutes.
Eala, WTA no. 135 in doubles, and Martins, no. 80, stormed to a 4-0 opening in the first set before the experienced pairing of Aoyama, no. 52, and Linette, no. 140, clawed back to level at 5-5. The veteran duo proved steadier in the tiebreak, racing to seven to steal the set.
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The Filipina-Brazilian tandem responded in the second, settling into rhythm to dominate 6-2 and force a decider.
But Aoyama and Linette quickly seized control in the third, jumping to a 4-0 lead.
Eala and Martins mounted a brief fightback to close the gap to 3-4, only for the veterans to shut the door by taking the final games.
The loss wrapped up Eala’s official main-draw debut at the Australian Open, completing her set of appearances across all four Grand Slams—making her the first Filipino to compete in the main draw of each major.
Now ranked no. 49 in singles, the 20-year-old began her Grand Slam journey at the 2025 French Open after breaking into the Top 100, a breakthrough sparked by her dream run at the Miami Open earlier that March.
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