Eala and Sönmez Dominate Seeds in Madrid Doubles Opener

Alex Eala and Zeynep Sönmez carried their strong off-court partnership onto the court, delivering a dominant opening-round performance in the women’s doubles at the WTA 1000 Mutua Madrid Open, held at the Caja Mágica in Manzanares Park.

The Filipina-Turkish pair overwhelmed seasoned veterans Chan Hao-ching of Chinese Taipei and Hungary’s Fanny Stollár with a commanding 6-2, 6-2 victory on Thursday to move on to the next round.

Despite limited time as a regular duo on the WTA Tour, Eala and Sönmez quickly demonstrated excellent chemistry, honed through previous ITF collaborations where they reached the semifinals in 2023 and 2024.

With Eala ranked No. 101 and Sönmez at No. 498, the duo's rankings belied the high level of play they showcased against a far more experienced team. Chan, a former Wimbledon finalist and ex-world No. 5, teamed up with Stollár, currently ranked No. 25 in doubles.

The match started with Chan and Stollár breaking Eala in the second game to lead 2-0 in the first set. However, the momentum swiftly shifted as Eala and Sönmez responded with authority, winning six straight games, including three consecutive breaks, to claim the opening set in just 31 minutes.

The second set unfolded similarly, with the Filipina-Turkish duo racing to a 4-0 lead, building on a streak of 10 consecutive games won across both sets. They maintained control, comfortably holding serve to seal the straight-sets win.

Eala and Sönmez will now face a tougher challenge in the second round, where they will meet the winner of the match between second seeds Taylor Townsend (USA) and Kateřina Siniaková (Czech Republic), and the team of Desirae Krawczyk (Filipina-American) and Lyudmyla Kichenok (Ukraine).

Townsend and Siniaková, both former world No. 1s and Grand Slam champions with titles at Wimbledon 2024 and the Australian Open 2025, are among the tournament favorites. Krawczyk, a former world No. 5, and Kichenok, a past world No. 3, also bring a wealth of experience to the table.

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