Eala, Auger-Aliassime fall in US Open mixed doubles opener

Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada saw their US Open mixed doubles campaign come to a quick end after absorbing a 1-4, 1-4 loss to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine and Gael Monfils of France in the Round of 16 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on Tuesday (Philippine time).

Eala and Auger-Aliassime were left searching for answers throughout the 39-minute encounter as the real-life couple of Svitolina and Monfils played like a well-oiled machine.

The Ukrainian-French tandem dictated the tempo from the opening exchanges and gave Eala and the Canadian star little room to settle into the match.

Unlike in a standard tennis match where a player needs six games to win a set, the US Open’s revamped mixed doubles format requires only four games to clinch a set, making every break and every missed opportunity even more costly.

The defeat ends Eala’s first assignment in New York, but the 21-year-old Filipina star will have little time to dwell on the setback.

Eala will now shift her full focus to the women’s singles main draw, which begins on 30 August, where she is set to enter as one of the seeded players following her rise to a career-high No. 18 in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings.

Before beginning her Grand Slam campaign, however, Eala will take part in the “Stars of the Open” exhibition event against world No. 14 and home bet Iva Jovic on Friday at 6 a.m. Manila time.

The exhibition will serve as another opportunity for Eala to get familiar with the atmosphere and conditions in New York before embarking on what could be another historic singles campaign.