ALEX Eala and partner Renata Zarazua of Mexico advanced to the second round of the 2025 Roland Garros French Open women’s doubles after beating a Top 100 pair in their opening match early Wednesday morning, Manila time.
Eala and Zarazua, ranked world No. 73 and 74, respectively, defeated Great Britain’s Emily Appleton and Spain’s Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers, 7-5, 6-4, in come-from-behind fashion after a slow start to a match that lasted an hour and a half.
Eala and Zarazua will next face Olga Danilovic of Serbia and Russian Anastasia Potapova in the second round of the grand slam tournament.
Redemption run for Eala
This also serves as a form of redemption for the Filipina, following her early exit in the singles competition after a three-set loss to Emiliana Arango.
While Eala and Zarazua took the first game, their opponents rallied to take a 4-2 lead. The pair fought back to level at 4-4, then pulled ahead at 6-5 before closing the first set in the 52nd minute.
The final stretch proved pivotal in building momentum for the second set, where Eala and Zarazua once again secured the opening game. Though their opponents quickly leveled at 1-1, the duo responded by winning the next two games to lead 3-1.
Appleton and Cavalle-Reimers managed to even the score at 4-4, before Eala and Zarazua took two consecutive games to take the match.
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