Alex Eala falls to Kostyuk, eyes redemption in Italian Open doubles with Coco Gauff
Alex Eala bowed out of the singles draw at the 2025 Italian Open after absorbing a dominant 6-0, 6-1 defeat at the hands of Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk on a cool evening session in Rome.
What began as a fiercely contested opener quickly turned into a one-sided affair, as the 21st-seeded Kostyuk overcame a tense 10-minute first game featuring multiple deuces to break Eala’s serve.
That early breakthrough set the tone, with the Ukrainian dictating play from the baseline using a barrage of heavy, angle-spinning forehands that left Eala on the defensive throughout the match.
Kostyuk raced to a commanding 3-0 lead after securing back-to-back breaks, then tightened her grip by securing a third break to go up 5-0.
Serving for the set, she closed out the first frame in just 28 minutes without dropping a single game.
Eala, who struggled to find her footing under Kostyuk’s relentless pressure, saw the second set unfold much the same way.
Kostyuk extended her game streak to eight and surged ahead 3-0 before the Filipina finally managed to hold serve and get on the scoreboard, 1-4.
But the brief spark was quickly extinguished.
Kostyuk held serve for 5-1 and then sealed the match with her sixth break of serve, wrapping up the encounter in just over an hour.
With the loss, the 19-year-old Eala’s singles campaign in Rome comes to an end, but her tournament is far from over.
She will shift focus to the doubles event, where she teams up with American star and world No. 3 Coco Gauff in what promises to be an exciting pairing.
