It was a magical run main as much as the singles draw, however Alex Ila will proceed to carry a lot pleasure to Filipino followers on the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open alongside fellow Southeast Asian sensation Janice Chen.
Barely an hour after her solo profession ended with a 6-3, 6-3 loss to second-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova, Ila switched gears and teamed up with Indonesian rising star Tien, getting ready for a formidable efficiency within the doubles quarterfinals.
Nicknamed “Sea Stars” after their shared hometown, the pair gladly accepted, overwhelming second seeds Zhang Shuai and Christina Boucha, successful 6-3, 6-3 and ticketing them to the semi-finals of a WTA 500 event for the primary time of their careers.
It is value noting that Chan is a three-time Grand Slam champion and in addition received the Australian Open simply final month, whereas Bucha was a bronze medalist on the 2024 Olympics – albeit with completely different companions.
There was additionally a component of revenge for Eara, because it was Bucha who ended his hopes within the second spherical of final 12 months’s US Open. The previous got here after turning into the primary participant from the Philippines to win a singles match in a Grand Slam event.
Eala and Tjen hit back-to-back breaks early on, surging 3-0 in every set. Quick begins have been decisive in each units. That early cushion allowed them to dictate performs, mixing sharp internet protection with regular baseline exchanges to maintain extra skilled opponents at bay.
Whereas Chan and Bucha struggled to claw their approach again, the Southeast Asian duo constantly closed the door, held their floor in key moments, and closed out every set with out drama.
This win not solely highlighted Ira’s rising consolation stage at this stage, but in addition highlighted the chemistry she shares with Chen, because the pair confirmed stability effectively past their age.
Reaching the Closing 4 is a milestone consequence for each gamers and one other significant step ahead for Southeast Asia’s illustration on the WTA stage.
The subsequent match for this pairing is the semi-final between fourth seeds Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nichols.
Earlier, a day after a shocking spherical of 16 victory over Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Ila misplaced to world No. 11 Aleksandrova within the singles quarterfinals.
Alexandrova set the tone from the beginning, breaking serve within the first set and taking management, ultimately constructing a 5-2 cushion. Ila confirmed her mettle by holding serve and increasing the set, however the Russian had little room for error and closed out the match at 6-3.
Eara began the second set together with her first lead of the match and held serve to take a 1-0 lead, however Alexandrova shortly responded with an early break to regain momentum. The Filipino participant managed to remain inside vary after getting break probabilities, together with a key maintain and a short stalemate at three-all.
Nonetheless, Alexandrova raised her stage when it mattered most, empowering her to interrupt again and advance the match, denying Ila a comeback regardless of late resistance.
