No go for Alex Eala-Venus Williams doubles pairing in Washington Open

EAGER. The Philippines' Alexandra Eala reacts during her third-round match against Poland's Iga Swiatek in the 2026 Wimbledon Championships. Toby Melville/REUTERS Alex Eala will instead focus on singles action as she battles Asian Games tormentor Zheng Qinwen of China in the opening round of the Washington Open MANILA, Philippines – Plans for a repeat team-up between Alex Eala and tennis icon Venus Williams have fallen through. The Filipina will instead focus on singles action of the Washington Open in the United States as Williams partners with fellow American Diana Shnaider in doubles play. Eala and Williams were announced as doubles partners by the WTA 500 tournament and even practiced together days before the start of the competition, but the draw released on Saturday, July 25, showed otherwise. The development derailed aspirations for Eala and Williams to go on a deeper run after they joined forces for the first time and reached the quarterfinals of the Bad Homburg Open in Germany in June. Eala opens her singles campaign against China’s Zheng Qinwen in the round of 32 as the two Asian bets meet on the WTA Tour for the first time. But Eala and Zheng are familiar with each other — the Chinese former world No. 4 beating the Filipina in the semifinals of the 2022 Asian Games on the way to winning the gold medal. A lot has changed, though, since as Eala now ranks No. 29 in the world while Zheng sits outside the top 100 at No. 123. Eala is coming off a warm homecoming, where she was honored by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and warmly welcomed by fans. The 21-year-old hopes to build on the momentum from her splendid grass-court campaign that she capped with a historic run to the fourth round of the Wimbledon Championships as she begins the hard-court swing in Washington. – Rappler.com How does this make you feel? Loading