Alex Eala, Coco Gauff Pair Up in Italian Open Doubles

Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala is set to team up with Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff in the doubles tournament of the 2025 Italian Open, marking another milestone in her rising career on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tour.

After an early exit in the singles draw, Eala shifts her focus to doubles, where she will join forces with the world No. 3 and 2023 U.S. Open winner, Coco Gauff.

Eala’s manager confirmed the development to ABS-CBN News on Thursday morning, Manila time.

The 19-year-old Eala and the 21-year-old Gauff will face Alexandra Panova of Russia and Fanny Stollár of Hungary in the round of 32.

The match schedule has yet to be officially announced, but the pairing has already generated buzz among tennis followers in both the Philippines and abroad.

“Filipina tennis star Alex Eala is set to share the court with a Grand Slam champion anew — but this time, they will be on the same side,” her camp said in a statement.

Eala recently achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 70 following her Cinderella run to the semifinals of the Miami Open in March.

She opened her Italian Open singles campaign against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk on Thursday, following a tough draw in Madrid, where she lost to world No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the round of 64.

Gauff, a former world No. 1 in doubles and currently ranked fourth in the singles seeding at the Italian Open, received a first-round bye and will face Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko in the second round.

Gauff last ruled the Italian Open singles event in 2023 and partnered with Kateřina Siniaková to win the 2024 French Open doubles title.

Eala also boasts an impressive doubles résumé at the junior level, winning the 2020 Australian Open and the 2021 French Open girls’ doubles titles.

This Italian Open partnership is the latest in a string of career breakthroughs for Eala, who continues to gain momentum on the professional circuit.

Tennis analysts view the pairing as a high-potential collaboration, combining Eala’s tactical precision with Gauff’s explosive athleticism and elite experience.

Their campaign in Rome could set the stage for future team-ups, especially with the 2024 Paris Olympics and Grand Slam season in full swing.