A back injury halted their anticipated doubles partnership at the Toray Pan Pacific Open, but the Filipina singles standout remains confident future tournament pairings will materialize.
Alexandra Eala produced an emphatic start to her singles campaign at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, but her anticipated doubles debut alongside American Grand Slam champion Desirae Krawczyk was called off before the pair could take the court.
The 21-year-old Filipina entered both draws at the WTA 500 tournament as the eighth seed, generating significant excitement among fans eager to see two players of Philippine heritage compete together. That milestone was delayed when Krawczyk withdrew from the doubles event due to a back injury.
Tournament organizers placed Yulia Putintseva and Liudmila Samsonova into the round of 16 draw as an alternate pair, sending them against Japan's Miyu Kato and Chinese Taipei's Hao-Ching Chan.
Despite the unexpected withdrawal, Eala expressed genuine enthusiasm regarding the swift rapport she formed with Krawczyk. Speaking with reporter Dyan Castillejo of ABS-CBN News following her singles victory, Eala described an immediate bond anchored in their shared Philippine ancestry.
"Yeah I mean it just didn't work out this time," Eala explained when asked about the missed opportunity to play alongside Krawczyk. "But you know, she's so proud of her Filipino roots, and it's so nice to have someone to connect about that with on tour, you know, so I think we bonded really quickly because of that. And so I think it will happen, it will happen, and she just came off an amazing win in Ningbo, so yeah, well-deserved win for her."
The mutual affinity between the two competitors reflects a cultural pride that continues to resonate across professional tennis. Krawczyk, a 32-year-old native of Palm Desert, California, traces her Philippine heritage through her mother, Maria.
During a March conversation on The Players Box podcast, Krawczyk recounted a lighthearted family story illustrating her mother's deep enthusiasm for Eala. During the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in February, Maria was so focused on watching Eala face Coco Gauff in the singles quarterfinals that she momentarily lost track of her own daughter's doubles match scheduled for the exact same afternoon.
Krawczyk arrived in the Japanese capital carrying significant momentum after capturing the Ningbo Open doubles title on Sunday alongside Hungary's Fanny Stollar. The tandem edged Spain's Cristina Bucsa and American partner Nicole Melichar-Martinez in a gripping match tiebreak, 7-6 (5), 5-7, 10-6, earning Krawczyk her thirteenth career WTA doubles crown.
Ranked 32nd globally in doubles and possessing a career-high ranking of world No. 7 achieved in August 2024, Krawczyk remains one of the premier doubles specialists of her era. Her extensive credentials include four Grand Slam mixed doubles championships: the 2021 French Open and US Open with Joe Salisbury, followed by consecutive Wimbledon victories in 2021 and 2022 alongside Neal Skupski. She was also a women's doubles finalist at Roland Garros in 2020.
For Eala, the prospect of sharing the court with an experienced doubles specialist offers invaluable tactical growth. The left-handed Filipina has broadened her doubles resume throughout 2026, highlighted by a run to the quarterfinals at Bad Homburg alongside seven-time major singles champion Venus Williams.
With doubles duties unexpectedly curtailed, Eala redirected her full concentration toward the singles competition in Tokyo. Her opening performance against Stojsavljevic, a 17-year-old British wildcard ranked 308th in the world, proved dominant from the outset. Eala conceded just three games throughout the match, breaking serve repeatedly and dictating play with crisp baseline exchanges.
The lopsided win provided an immediate bounce-back from a demanding second-round defeat at the Ningbo Open, where Eala battled Russian world No. 13 Diana Shnaider across two tight sets, saving six match points before falling 5-7, 4-6. Displaying no lingering physical fatigue, Eala adapted smoothly to Tokyo's indoor conditions and established control early.
In Wednesday's singles round of 16, Eala will confront Australian qualifier Talia Gibson, an opponent she has not encountered in several seasons. A strong run at the Toray Pan Pacific Open would add another notable chapter to an exceptional 2026 season for Eala, who claimed the WTA 500 Washington Open title, reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, and rose to world No. 18—the highest WTA singles ranking ever achieved by a Southeast Asian player.
Source:
Alex Eala admits she’s ‘bonded really quickly’ with WTA player over their Filipino roots October 27, 2026
Alex Eala, Desirae Krawczyk withdraw from Pan Pacific Open doubles October 26, 2026
Eala teams up with Krawczyk for Tokyo doubles October 26, 2026
Comments
No comments yet — be the first.
Leave a comment