MANILA – Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala and Russian partner Oksana Selekhmeteva emerged as the queens of the 2021 French Open girls’ doubles tournament on Saturday night at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France.
The Eala-Selekhmeteva tandem bagged the crown after crushing the eighth-seeded pair of Hungary’s Amarissa Kiara Toth and Russia’s Maria Bondarenko, 6-0, 7-5, in the finals.
The 16-year-old Filipina netter and 18-year-old Russian tennis superstar have a near-flawless execution in the opening set, mauling the Toth and Bondarenko pair thrice for an easy 6-0 beating.
Toth and Bondarenko clawed to a 1-0 edge in the second set, which climbed to 3-1 as they pounded on the miscues of Eala and Selekhmeteva.
Toth and Bondarenko stretched the gap to 4-2, but Eala and Selekhmeteva won the next three matches to surge ahead at 5-4.
However, Toth and Bondarenko staved off defeat by taking the 10th frame and tied the game at 5-all.
Eala and Selekhmeteva proved they are dominant in the clutch as they roared back in the 11th game to take a 6-5 advantage before clinching the championship in the next match.
“Sa lahat ng Pinoy na nanood, maraming salamat sa suporta. It’s actually Independence Day (in the Philippines last Saturday), so I hope that I made my contribution to the country,” Eala said after the match.
The Eala-Selekhmeteva tandem entered the championship round after ousting Italian pair Lisa Pigato and Eleonora Alvisi in the semifinals, 6-2, 6-1, on Friday (Saturday in the Philippines).
The feat was Eala’s first-ever French Open juniors’ championship and her second Grand Slam win after topping the 2020 Australian Open girl’s doubles with Indonesian partner Priska Nugruho.
The Rafael Nadal Academy-trained Eala will take a short breather before plunging back to action by competing at the Wimbledon – the third Grand Slam event of the year./PN
