Eala teams up with Jovic anew at Indian Wells doubles

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino tennis ace Alexandra “Alex” Eala reunites with American Iva Jovic anew for the Indian Wells doubles tournament in California.

Eala sports a 105th rank while Jovic 133rd in the doubles side, and 32nd and 18th, respectively, in the singles division.

The 20-year-old Eala and 18-year-old Jovic first teamed up at the ASB Classic last January in Auckland, where they reached the semifinals.

Eala and Jovic will open their Indian Wells doubles campaign against the American-Latvian pair of Hailey Baptiste and Jelena Ostapenko on Friday.

Eala has beaten both players before in the singles side.

Meanwhile, the “Eala-mania” has arrived in California.

Just like at the Australian and Middle East swing, Eala’s practice sessions for her Indian Wells campaign have drawn a slew of fans.

Social media posts have shown Eala practicing to a backdrop of many supporters, with fans catching a glimpse of the Filipino tennis ace even before the tournament starts.

Eala has already practiced with Schneider and Madison Keys.

Seeded 31st in the tournament, Eala will open her singles campaign against either Chinese Zhang Shuai or Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska in the round of 64 likely on Saturday.

If Eala hurdles her first match, she’s in line for a potential rematch with world no. 4 Coco Gauff in the round of 32.

Eala fell to Gauff at the Dubai Tennis Championships two weeks ago, 0-6, 2-6, in the quarterfinals.

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