FILIPINO tennis ace Alex Eala still couldn’t catch a break as she and Swiss partner Rebeka Masarova were eliminated from women’s doubles of Birmingham Open in Great Britain.

The short-lived stint in doubles saw Eala and Masarova lose to Australian second seeds Ellen Perez and Storm Hunter, 6-4, 6-4, in an opening round match that only lasted one hour and 11 minutes on Monday, June 2.

Eala was coming off an unproductive stint in the singles and doubles of the French Open.

The unseeded pair of Eala and Masarova got off to a strong start, taking a 2-1 lead as Perez and Hunter struggled early.

Eala and Masarova suddenly lost steam while Perez and Hunter got hot en route to winning the first game.

Perez and Hunter sustained the momentum, starting the second frame like a house on fire to build a huge 4-0 lead.

Eala and Masarova fought back and moved within 3-4. The Australians won the eighth game to restore a 5-3 lead before the losing pair threatened again at 4-5.

Perez and Hunter didn’t panic, finishing off their opponents by winning the 10th game and the match.

After the doubles loss, Eala was scheduled to take on Czech Linda Fruhvirtova in the singles where the Filipina is seeded third in this Women’s Tennis Association (WTA125) tournament.(CCM)

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• #Alex Eala
• #Tennis
• #Rebeka Masarova
• #Birmingham Open
• #Great Britain
• #Ellen Perez
• #Storm Hunter