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Tennis: Alex Eala, Russian partner breeze through doubles final at W25 Spain

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Rosy Mina

<p>MANILA—Filipino Alex Eala and Russian Oksana Selekhmeteva advanced to the doubles final of the $25,000 Platja D’Aro tournament in Spain with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Isabelle Haverlag and Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands.</p><p>In the final, the Filipino and Russian teens will battle it out with 25-year-olds Oana Georgeta Simion of Romania and Ustina Mikulskyte of Lithuania, who ousted Spaniards Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and Claudia Hoste Ferrer 6-0, 6-2.</p><p>The W25 Platja D’Aro is the first professional doubles tournament for Eala, who won the Australian Open junior girls’ doubles championship in 2020. </p><p>Selekhmeteva is the 2019 US Open girls doubles champion, while Simion and Mikulskyte each have multiple professional and juniors doubles titles. </p><p>Friday’s semifinal, dominated by the 15-year-old Eala and 18-year-old Selekhmeteva, was 53 minutes long. It featured the no-advantage scoring method for games at deuce, also called “sudden death” with the receiver’s choice.</p><p>The Dutch duo opened the match with a 2-0 lead, and the Filipino and Russian quickly caught up at 2-2. With a backhand down the line winner from Eala, she and Selekhmeteva took the lead at 3-2. After holding serve to get to 5-3, Eala and Selekhmeteva broke to secure the first set, 6-3.</p><p>The Filipino-Russian tandem became more aggressive in the next set, preventing their opponents from getting on the scoreboard in the first five games. </p><p>A volley down the T from Eala nailed a comfortable 5-0 lead, to which the Dutch pair replied with a hold of serve. At match point, Eala let out a forceful backhand that was netted by the opponent, closing out the set, 6-1, in favor of the Filipino and Russian.</p><p>Eala and Selekhmeteva’s semis win is a breather compared to their arduous victory in the quarterfinals where they scored an upset over the top-seeded Russian pair of Sofya Lansere and Vlada Koval, 6-3, 2-6, 12-10. In the first round, they posted a 6-2, 6-0 win over South African Warona Mdlulwa and Spanish Valeria Koussenkova. </p><p>Meanwhile, Eala also entered the W25 Platja D’Aro singles tournament as a junior exempt. The World No. 662 and 2021 W15 Manacor champion defeated Spanish qualifier Alba Carrillo Marin, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, in the opening round. Eala’s singles campaign ended on Thursday in the second round where Irene Burillo Escorihuela of Spain prevailed, 6-2, 6-4.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/05/20/21/tennis-spaniard-ousts-alex-eala-in-w25-spain-tourney">Tennis: Alex Eala reaches doubles semis, falters in singles at W25 Spain</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/05/20/21/tennis-alex-eala-progresses-in-w25-spain-tilt-after-3-hour-opening-match">Tennis: Alex Eala progresses in W25 Spain tilt after 3-hour opening match</a></li></ul><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES:</strong></div><div><strong>THROWBACK: Tennis phenom</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1632827" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>Eala and Oksana Selekhmeteva will play for the title at the $25,000 Platja D’Aro tournament with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Isabelle Haverlag and Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands.</p>

Eala and Oksana Selekhmeteva will play for the title at the $25,000 Platja D’Aro tournament with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Isabelle Haverlag and Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands.