Eala, Bartunkova yield to Kenin, Ostapenko in first round of Wimbledon doubles
Alex Eala and her Czech doubles partner Nikola Bartunková bowed out of the doubles competition at the 2026 Wimbledon Open after they conceded to No. 8 seeds Sofia Kenin of the US and Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 defeat early Friday, July 3.
Had it gone the other way, it would have been Eala's second victory of the day. Earlier on July 2, she sealed a payback win against Australia's Maya Joint in the singles second round. Joint previously beat Eala at the Lexus Eastbourne Open championship last year.
Eala and Bartunkova took the opening set with a strong start, securing a 3-0 lead before falling back to Ostapenko and Kenin's back-to-back wins in the next two games. The Filipina and Czech dug deep and won the next two games, giving way to their opponents in the next one, but ultimately finished the set with a win.
In the next two sets, the Latvian-American pair took decisive control, pounding out a 5-2 lead in the second set after Eala and Bartunkova claimed the first two games. Although the Philippine-Czechia duo managed to win a third game in the second set, Ostapenko and Kenin broke away for a victory in both the second and third sets.
Kenin and Ostapenko each have Grand Slam singles titles.
Eala can now focus on her next singles match in the third round on July 4 against another familiar opponent, No. 3 seed and defending champion Iga Swiatek. They have previously played against each other twice, splitting the matches between them.
The Filipina tennis ace has been on an unprecedented run. As it is now, she has made history as the first-seeded Filipino tennis player to win two singles main draw matches in Wimbledon.
