AFTER three successive clay court stints and another morale boost before she makes her debut as a wild card in the main draw of the French Open, Alex Eala rose another rung to No. 69 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association world ratings released yesterday.
Eala’s improvement was likely the result of her quarterfinals appearance with first-time American partner Coco Gauff in the women’s doubles of the Italian Open, where they fell to the resilient defending champion Italian pair of Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani 5-7, 6-3, 10-7 at the Grand Stand Arena of the Foro Italico Tennis Center in Rome, Italy.
Eala and Gauff shared the purse of 46,350 euros (around P2.718) million and 215 WTA ranking points for reaching the quarterfinals.
Paolini won a historic Italian Open singles crown over the weekend, outplaying the fancied Gauff 6-4, 6-2 and becoming the first Italian woman to win the championship in 40 years since Rafaella Reggi in 1985.
For an encore, the bubbly Italian completed a golden double, teaming up with Errani to retain the women’s double championship last Sunday, outplaying the Belgian duo of Elise Mertens and Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 7-5.
Eala fell one win short of advancing to the French Open main draw last year after beating China Yexin Ma 6-1, 6-1 in the first round of the qualifiers before scrambling past Australian Taylah Preston 4-6, 7-4, 7-5 in the next round.
On the cusp of advancing to the main competition, the pretty Pinay southpaw fell at the final hurdle, unable to hold on to a first-set lead and bowing to Argentine Julia Riera, who rallied for a 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 win to advance.
The French Open qualifiers began yesterday so who Eala’s opening-round opponent will be known only before the main tournament starts on Sunday at the famed Roland Garros clay courts in the French capital of Paris.
