MANILA — Riding the momentum of her breakthrough Mubadala DC Open triumph, Filipina tennis star Alexandra Eala will reunite with seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams in the doubles event of the National Bank Open in Toronto after the pair secured the tournament’s final wild card entry.
The partnership comes just days after Eala captured the biggest title of her career in Washington, where she defeated three seeded opponents—including world No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the final—to become the first Filipina to win a WTA 500 singles title and break into the WTA Top 20.
Tournament organizers announced that Eala and Williams will make their Toronto debut as partners during the night session on Thursday at Sobeys Stadium in Canada.
“We know our fans will be incredibly excited to see Venus and Alexandra team up in doubles,” tournament director Karl Hale said in an article posted on the WTA website.
“Venus is a legend of the sport, while Alexandra’s popularity continues to soar as does her level on court. It’s going to be a special moment when the two step onto Sobeys Stadium for the first time as a partnership,” he added.
The Toronto campaign gives Eala and Williams another chance to build on their chemistry after reaching the quarterfinals of the Bad Homburg Open earlier this season.
The duo was also expected to compete together at last week’s Mubadala DC Open, but Eala withdrew from the doubles draw to concentrate on her singles campaign.
The decision paid off as the 21-year-old Filipina produced a career-defining run in Washington, claiming the championship and cementing her place among the world’s top players.
Before the Washington tournament, Eala explained why she chose to prioritize singles.
“I have so much respect for Venus,” Eala said. “I am so grateful for every opportunity that I have to be around her, to learn from her, to hit with her. But I do think this is my first week coming back, and I think that Venus is someone who deserves a partner who can give their all physically, emotionally, mentally when they’re on court with her. Right now I think I can only do that for singles.”
Williams welcomed the opportunity to reunite with the Filipina star.
“We had a great start,” the American said. “We played really well. Hoping to get a chance to play with her again. I think as a team, if we had a chance to play often, then I think we could play really well.”
Eala and Williams will open their doubles campaign against Liudmila Samsonova and Miyu Kato.
Before returning to doubles action, Eala will first begin her singles campaign in Toronto with a second-round match against Alycia Parks after earning a first-round bye as one of the tournament’s seeded players./PN
