In a clash of generations, the Gen Z duo displayed remarkable grit and composure beyond their years, prevailing in straight sets.
Twenty-year-old Alex Eala and 18-year-old Iva Jovic of the United States saved multiple set points in the opening set before cruising through the second to defeat American legend Venus Williams and Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, 7-6(7), 6-1, in the doubles first round of the WTA 250 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, on Monday.
From the outset, Eala and Jovic made it clear they were unfazed by former world No. 1 Williams and 31-year-old former world No. 3 Svitolina.
The youngsters broke Williams’ serve in the very first game and surged to a 2-0 lead.
But that advantage was short-lived as Williams and Svitolina regained their footing, winning the next three games to take the lead.
The veteran pair extended their lead to 5-3 and had a chance to close out the first set after going up 40-15. Yet Eala and Jovic dug deep, breaking back and following it up with a held serve to even the score at 5-5.
Williams and Svitolina once again reached 40-15 at 6-5, but the young duo refused to surrender, rallying to push the set into a tiebreak.
Eala and Jovic jumped to a 3-1 lead but briefly lost momentum, allowing their opponents to threaten with set points at 6-5 and 7-6.
Each time, the youngsters held firm, claiming the final three points to take the opener in 59 minutes.
The draining first set appeared to sap the energy of Williams and Svitolina, who struggled to match their younger rivals in the second set.
Eala and Jovic dominated throughout, wrapping up the match in just 31 minutes with a convincing 6-1 finish.
Eala, ranked 166th in doubles, and Jovic, 217th, will advance to the quarterfinals. There, they will face the winner of the first-round clash between top seeds Erin Routliffe of New Zealand and Asia Muhammad of the United States versus Jessika Maleckova of the Czech Republic and Renata Zarazua of Mexico.
Eala will return to the outdoor hard courts of the ASB Classic on Tuesday for singles action.
The fourth-seeded Filipina ace is set to face former world No. 17 Donna Vekic of Croatia.
