Ian Paolo Villacencio

Just two days after her historic Wimbledon singles appearance, Filipina tennis star Alex Eala’s tournament campaign came to a close as she and German partner Eva Lys suffered a straight-set defeat, 6-4, 6-2, falling into the hands of Quinn Gleason (USA) and Ingrid Martins (Brazil) in women's doubles first round, on Thursday, July 3.


Title hopes were dashed under the overcast skies of Court 4, where Eala and Lys couldn’t find answers against the more cohesive and experienced tandem of Gleason and Martins, who wrapped up the match in just 1 hour and 25 minutes.

After a valiant singles effort that earned her the spotlight, Eala’s hopes of extending her stay at Wimbledon shifted to the doubles draw. Originally slated for a 7:10 pm start, the match was delayed to 8:05 pm, Manila time.

Eala entered the match as the higher-ranked singles player at world No. 56, compared to Lys at No. 61. In doubles, Eala held a career-high ranking of No. 155, while Lys, with limited experience in the format, stood at No. 1,486.

Their opponents, meanwhile, brought proven chemistry and success, ranked No. 70 (Gleason) and No. 80 (Martins), respectively.

Eala and Lys showed early promise, with the Filipina holding serve after saving three break points to open the first set. The duo managed to stay within striking distance, with Lys holding at love to keep the deficit at 4-3. But critical missed breakpoint opportunities — particularly at 5-3 — allowed Gleason and Martins to pounce. 

The American-Brazilian pairing capitalized on their third breakpoint to steal momentum and close out the first set, 6-4, after 44 minutes of high-level exchanges.

The second set saw Eala and Lys struggle with consistency and conversion under pressure. After a promising start with Lys holding serve for a 1-0 lead, Gleason and Martins roared back, breaking Eala’s serve for the first time and saving six breakpoints in a marathon fourth game. 

That turned the tide definitively, as the more experienced pair cruised to a 5-1 lead before sealing the set — and the match — at 6-2.

While the loss ends Eala’s Wimbledon stint, her breakthrough singles performance against defending champion Barbora Krejcikova earlier in the week remains a highlight of her young career.

While they ultimately fell to the more experienced American duo, the Eala-Lys partnership hinted at future potential, with more time to develop rhythm and tactical cohesion in the doubles circuit.