Alex Eala will be making her first-ever WTA doubles semifinals appearance on Saturday after she and Ukraine’s Nadiia Kichenok defeated Russia’s Polina Kudermetova and Kamilla Rakhimova in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5, in the quarterfinals of the Guangzhou Open in China on Friday.
Rakhimova is enjoying the best doubles season of her career, reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the third round of the French Open.
Kudermetova, meanwhile, was competing in just her seventh doubles event of the year.
World No. 207 Eala and world No. 58 Kichenok, however, displayed greater cohesion in their partnership compared to the Russians — who, like them, were teaming up for the first time.
Eala and Kichenok quickly opened a 2-0 lead in the first set, but Kudermetova and Rakhimova caught up, keeping the score tied until the sixth game at 3-3.
A break of serve by the 20-year-old Eala and the 33-year-old Kichenok proved decisive, allowing them to take the opening set in just 33 minutes.
The second set saw the Filipina-Ukrainian duo break the Russian pair again in the third game to build a 3-1 lead.
But Rakhimova and Kudermetova fought back, winning the next three games to seize the advantage and maintain it until the ninth game at 5-4.
That cushion, however, was not enough. Eala’s powerful baseline play, complemented by Kichenok’s solid net game, enabled them to win the next three games and clinch the match in the 12th game.
Both unseeded pairs had impressive opening rounds.
Eala and Kichenok stunned fourth seeds Emily Appleton of Great Britain and Tang Qianhui of China, 6-4, 6-2. Meanwhile, Kudermetova and Rakhimova came from a set down to outlast Peangtarn Plipuech of Thailand and Zheng Wushuang of China, 2-6, 6-2, 5-3 (retired).
A major challenge awaits Eala and Kichenok in the semifinals, where they will face Indonesian sensation Janice Tjen and Poland’s Katarzyna Pridankina.
The duo upset top seeds Quinn Gleason of the United States and Elena Pridankina of Russia in three sets in the quarterfinals, 3-6, 6-3, 10-8.
Before this week, Eala’s best doubles run this season was reaching the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 Italian Open when she teamed up with American superstar Coco Gauff in May.
