ALEX Eala and partner Rebeka Masarova bowed out in the first round of the Lexus Birmingham Open 2025 Women’s Doubles.
The duo struggled to match the level of play of second seeds Australians Ellen Perez and Storm Hunter, who claimed a 6-4, 6-4 victory on Monday night [PH time].
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With the doubles loss, Eala can focus on her opening match against Linda Fruhvirtova in the women's singles competition, where she is the third seed.
This tournament marks the start of the Filipina’s grass-court season following four events on clay, including her debut in the French Open main draw last week.
A match that lasted an hour and 11 minutes saw Eala and Masarova failing to capitalize on a promising 2-1 start, losing momentum when they were broken in the ninth game of the first set.
Perez and Hunter took full advantage, winning two straight games to close out the set and seize control.
The second set opened with the Australians racing to a 4-0 lead. Eala and Masarova fought back with three straight games to narrow the gap to 4-3.
However, Perez and Hunter quickly regained their rhythm, extending the lead to 5-3. Eala and Masarova held serve to make it 5-4, but the Aussie pair closed it out in the next game.
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