Sports
Alex Eala, Czech partner bow out in Birmingham Open doubles
Alex Eala of the Philippines leaves the court after her loss to Karolina Muchova of Czechia on Day 7 of the Miami Open Presented by Itau at Hard Rock Stadium on March 23, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP
MANILA, Philippines–Alex Eala lost her first grass court match this season at the Birmingham Open doubles round of 16 on Monday (Manila time) in England.
Eala and Nikola Bartunkova fell to home bets and tournament second seeds Harriet Dart and Maia Lumsden, 4-6, 6-2, 9-11.
READ: Alex Eala opens grass campaign vs Priscilla Hon at Birmingham Open
The Filipino-Czech duo jumped out the gates and led 4-0 in the opening set, but failed to sustain its strong start.
Eala and Bartunkova regained their groove in the second, where they zoomed to a 5-2 lead and forced a 10-point tiebreak.
Dart and Lumsen, seeded second in the tournament, came back from an 8-9 deficit to outlast Eala and Bartunkova in the thrilling tiebreak.
READ: Alex Eala proud of progress despite early French Open exit
Eala will make her singles debut in Birmingham this season as the top seed on Tuesday against Australia’s Priscilla Hon in the round of 32.
The 21-year-old Eala, ranked 37th in the world, split her first two meetings against Hon.
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