Eala, Shang lose mixed doubles exhibition at Macau Tennis Masters
At A Glance
- Alex Eala and Jerry Shang of China yielded to Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and China's Wu Yibing, 7-5, 7-6 (1), in the mixed doubles exhibition match at the MGM Macau Tennis Masters on Saturday, Dec. 7.
Alex Eala, second from left, at the Macau Tennis Masters. (Macau Tennis Masters Instagram)
Alex Eala and Jerry Shang of China yielded to Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and China’s Wu Yibing, 7-5, 7-6 (1), in the mixed doubles exhibition match at the MGM Macau Tennis Masters on Saturday, Dec. 7.
Eala and Shang were supposed to battle Wu and Mirra Andreeva, but the Russian tennis sensation pulled out at the last minute, prompting a change in schedule and a special match against two male players.
However, Eala and Andreeva are still scheduled to meet in the singles match on Sunday, Dec. 28, in what appeared to be a rematch of their 2022 US Open Girls singles encounter.
It can be recounted that Eala, then seeded 10th in the said juniors tournament, swept Andreeva, 6-4, 6-0, in the quarterfinals. The Filipina standout went on to win the title at the expense of Lucie Havlickova.
Since then, much has changed for both Eala and Andreeva. Eala is now ranked No. 53 and reached a career-high No. 50 last November, while Andreeva is ranked No. 9 after winning two singles titles and reaching the semifinals of the 2024 French Open and the quarterfinals of this year’s Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, Shang bowed to Fokina, 7-6 (3), 7-5, in the men’s singles prior to competing in the mixed doubles. Humberto Eco currently plays Wu in the other men’s singles.