Eala, Auger-Aliassime exit US Open mixed doubles

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Alex Eala and Félix Auger-Aliassime suffered a first-round exit in the ongoing US Open mixed doubles event at Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York City on Aug. 25, 2026.

The young duo could not overcome the chemistry of husband-and-wife tandem Elina Svitolina and Gaël Monfils, losing 4-1, 4-1 in the round of 16.

Featuring a fast-paced format approved by the USTA, the US Open mixed doubles event used short sets of up to four games and a sudden-death point at deuce without advantage scoring to keep the matches quick yet challenging.

The revamped rules favored the more experienced pairing, as Svitolina and Monfils took advantage of every deuce situation in the match.

The couple’s on-court chemistry also proved decisive, as they seemed to anticipate each other’s tendencies, particularly in court coverage, side switches and net-baseline defense.

Eala and Auger-Aliassime started quickly by holding serve, but Svitolina and Monfils answered with a commanding 4-0 run to take a 1-0 lead.

Auger-Aliassime squandered their best chance to stay in the opening set by committing a double fault while trailing 15-40.

Eala and Auger-Aliassime shifted tactics in the second set by attacking the net early following strong returns, but the clever Monfils played the lob to perfection, forcing them to react and leaving the middle of the court open for a chop volley.

No matter what adjustments the younger duo made, Svitolina and Monfils always had answers.

When Eala stayed at the baseline to let Auger-Aliassime cover the net, the experienced couple forced the Filipina forward with a series of drop shots, drawing her out of her comfort zone.

The match ended anticlimactically with an Auger-Aliassime error at 40-all, setting up Svitolina and Monfils for a match against Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli.

With the loss, Eala will turn her focus to the main draw of the women’s singles event, which begins Aug. 30, 2026.