Despite a first round exit in her senior Grand Slam debut last Sunday, Filipina tennis star Alex Eala impressed in French Open doubles play as she and Mexican partner Renata Zarazua defeated the higher-ranked duo of Emily Appleton of Britain and Yvonne Calles-Reimers, 7-5, 6-4, on Wednesday at a packed Roland Garros Stadium Court 9 in Paris.
The world number 225 Eala, a junior doubles winner here in 2021, became the first ever Filipina to win a seniors match in a tennis Grand Slam.
For her part, world number 94 Zarazua is aiming to improve on her quarterfinal finish in this year’s Australian Open women’s doubles.
After a tight first set and a tied second set at 4-4, the Global South tandem pulled away from their top-80 European opponents by forcing Appleton and Cavalle-Reimers faulty returns to win the game.
Eala and Zarazua will next face Serbia’s top singles player Olga Danilovic, who is ranked 754 in doubles, and world number 169 Anastasia Potapova of Russia on Friday.
The Eastern European pair earlier upset the seventh seed Caroline Dolehide and four-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champ Desirae Krawczyk of the United States in three sets.
