Eala, Jovic bow out early in Indian Wells doubles

Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala and American partner Iva Jovic suffered an early exit in the BNP Paribas Open doubles tournament after falling to the pair of Jelena Ostapenko and Hailey Baptiste, 6–2, 6–2, in the opening round in Indian Wells, California, March 7.

Eala and Jovic struggled to gain momentum from the start, falling behind 0–4 in the opening set as the more experienced tandem dictated the pace of the match.



The young duo managed to hold serve twice but could not mount a comeback, eventually conceding the set.

The second frame followed a similar pattern as Eala and Jovic battled through several deuce games under no-ad scoring but were unable to convert their chances. 



Ostapenko and Baptiste maintained steady pressure and closed out the match with another 6–2 set in the one-hour contest.



Statistically, Eala and Jovic were outmatched in key areas. 



They finished with no aces compared to four from their opponents, committed two double faults each, and converted just one of five break-point opportunities while Ostapenko and Baptiste capitalized on five of their 10 chances.

The defeat marked the end of Jovic’s campaign in the tournament after she also dropped her singles opener to Camila Osorio on March 6.

Eala, however, remains alive in the singles draw and is set to face Coco Gauff in a round of 32 clash on March 8 (Philippine time).