Alex Eala’s first grass tournament of the year did not go as planned as she and Rebeka Masarova of Switzerland fell in the first round of the women’s doubles event of the Birmingham Open in the United Kingdom last Monday.

The 20-year-old Eala and Masarova absorbed a 4-6, 4-6 loss to the Australian pair of Ellen Perez and Storm Hunter in the Round of 16.

The match lasted for one hour and 11 minutes but the Filipino-Swiss tandem wasn’t able to get the win over the second-seed pair of the competition.

Eala is targeting entry into the main draw of the Wimbledon Championships this year, which starts on 30 June.

Playing in her second Grand Slam event will be a momentous feat for Eala as she will get a chance to bounce back following an early exit in the main draw of the French Open last May.

But for now, the three-time Junior Grand Slam champion is focusing on the women’s singles event of the Birmingham Open in which she is facing Linda Fruhvirtova of the Czech Republic in the Round of 32 at press time.

A win over Fruhvirtova will pit Eala against Jana Fett of Croatia or home bet Jodie Burrage in the Last 16.

The Rafael Nadal Academy graduate is gathering precious ranking points to further improve her current No. 73 ranking in the Women’s Tennis Association.