Alex Eala finds new doubles partner in Nadiia Kichenok at Guangzhou Open

Dubai: Alexandra Eala is set to make her return to doubles competition as she partners with Ukraine’s Nadiia Kichenok (world No 62) at the WTA 250 Guangzhou Open.

The 20-year-old Filipino, currently ranked No 54 in singles, last played doubles at Wimbledon in early July. There, she and Eva Lys exited in the first round, falling to Quinn Gleason and Ingrid Martins, 4–6, 2–6.

Eala’s doubles campaign in Guangzhou runs parallel to her singles bid, which is scheduled to begin soon. She’s aiming to build momentum on the fifth leg of her Asian swing after early exits in Osaka and the qualifying rounds in Wuhan.

Eala and Kichenok will make their team debut on Monday against the duo of Emily Appleton and Qianhui Tang.

This marks Eala’s fifth tournament in Asia this season, following stops in Jingshan, Suzhou, Osaka, and Wuhan.

Appleton and Tang, meanwhile, are reuniting for the first time since May, when they reached the quarterfinals of the WTA 125 event in Saint-Malo, France.