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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Weary Eala, Tjen hold off rivals, storm into Abu Dhabi Open doubles semis

Weary Eala, Tjen hold off rivals, storm into Abu Dhabi Open doubles semis

Published Feb 6, 2026 08:16 am

At A Glance

  • This, after a weary Eala and her Indonesian partner Janice Tjen weathered the storm from Spaniard Cristina Bucșa and Chinese Shuai Zhang, 6-3, 6-3, to reach the doubles semifinals of the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi Open in the UAE early Friday, Feb. 6.
(Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open)
(Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open)
Running on fumes but rich in resolve, Alex Eala still rose to the occasion as she rewarded her compatriots, especially the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who watched her live, another reason to celebrate.
This, after a weary Eala and her Indonesian partner Janice Tjen weathered the storm from Spaniard Cristina Bucșa and Chinese Shuai Zhang, 6-3, 6-3, to reach the doubles semifinals of the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi Open in the UAE early Friday, Feb. 6.
The Southeast Asian duo showcased superb chemistry in both sets, unleashing powerful smashes from every angle to fend off Bucșa and Zhang’s comeback attempt in their thrilling 1-hour, 6-minute quarterfinal clash, where fans erupted every point scored by the Filipina-Indonesian pair.
What made the doubles win even more impressive was that Eala was seen on the singles court barely an hour earlier, but on the receiving end of a 3-6, 3-6 quarters loss to Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Eala and Tjen now arranged a semis meeting with Slovakian Tereza Mihalíková and British Olivia Nicholls, who gunned down Russian Irina Khromacheva and Slovenian Andreja Klepač, 7-5, 6-7(7), 10-8.
“Hi everyone. We just won our quarterfinals match today, and don’t forget to come and support us,’ said Tjen to their supporters.
“Super happy, thank you everybody,” Eala added.
Their semis duel is set later Friday, Feb. 6, which will be later followed by another doubles action between American Sofia Kenin and Australian Maya Joint against US’ Desirae Krawczyk and Alexandrova.
Meaning, a potential rematch looms for Eala and Alexandrova, who beat the Filipina ace to forge a singles semis encounter with American Hailey Baptiste.
Boosted by their 7-5, 3-6, 10-6 escape over Canada’s Leylah Fernandez and France’s Kristina Mladenovic, Eala and Tjen immediately made a statement, racing to a 3-0 lead in the first set.
Though Bucșa and Zhang stayed within striking distance at 3-4, the Southeast Asian duo regained their rhythm, halting the Spanish-Chinese pair’s rally and reclaiming the advantage.
Their momentum carried into the second set, where another 3-0 cushion set the tone, which they maintained despite a late surge from their opponents.
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