Eala, Brazilian partner bow out

MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala and Brazilian partner Laura Pigossi fell short against the home bet duo of Kaylah Mcphee and Astra Sharma, 7-6(1), 6-3, in the semifinals of the Workday Canberra International ahead of her Australian Open stint next week.

Eala, 18, and Pigossi could not capitalize on a strong first set then were left off the dust in the deciding second frame to miss the final.

The Australian pair of Mcphee and Sharma arranged a finals duel against Slovenia’s Veronika Erjavec and Latvia’s Darja Semenistaja.

Erjavec and Semenistaja edged out home bets Alana Parnaby and Ivana Popovic in the other Final Four pairing, 7-5, 7-6(5), to deny an all-Aussie final.

“First week of the year, first WTA doubles semifinal,” said Eala, now at a career-high 185th spot in the WTA.

Eala’s exit in the doubles came on the heels of her opening-round elimination in the qualifying draw of the Workday Canberra International singles earlier this week against Switzerland’s Celine Naef, 6-4, 7-5.

It’s the first tournament of Eala before her Australian Open return starting on Monday.

Eala has been in Australia since before the New Year to prepare for her second straight women’s singles stint after winning a junior doubles crown in the 2020 Australian Open.