Alex Eala partners with Indonesian Janice Tjen in Abu Dhabi doubles

FROM rivals to teammates.

Filipina pride Alexandra “Alex” Eala and Indonesian standout Janice Tjen join forces in championing Southeast Asian (SEA) tennis with a doubles partnership in the prestigious WTA 500 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.

The 23-year-old Ms. Tjen beat the 20-year-old Ms. Eala, 6-4, 6-1, in the WTA 250 Sao Paulo Open quarterfinals in Brazil last year for their first encounter in the professional women’s circuit after their junior and ITF years as almost the same batch.

That run made Ms. Tjen the first Indonesian semifinalist in the WTA Tour, just months after Ms. Eala became the first Filipina WTA semifinalist in the Miami Open.

Since then, both SEA stars have etched their own marks and reached new career-high rankings. Pending this week’s update after the Australian and Philippine Women’s Open, Ms. Eala is now at No. 49 and Ms. Tjen at No. 69.

They were in collision course for a gold medal match in last month’s SEA Games in Thailand if not for the retirement of Ms. Tjen in the semifinals due to breathing issue, paving the way for home bet Mananchaya Sawangkaew’s finals entry via walkover. Ms. Eala then beat Ms. Sawangkaew in the finale, 6-1, 6-2, to deliver the country’s first women’s tennis gold since 1999.

This time, they will be on the same end of the court against Filipina-Canadian Leylah Fernandez (doubles No. 68) and Kristina Mladenovic of France (doubles No. 49).

Game time is still to be determined on Wenesday depending on the results of the singles campaigns by the said players.

Ms. Eala was to play WTA No. 112 Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey, her former doubles partner, while Ms. Tjen was to clash against WTA No. 31 Maya Joint of Australia.

Mses. Eala and Tjen are ranked lower in the doubles play at No. 135 and No. 67, respectively, but should have enough motivation to fly the flags of not only their nation but the entire region higher in the tennis world dominated by the Europeans.

“I think the SEA level is really there as you can see. It creates a really good atmosphere,” said Ms. Eala on SEA representation during her historic home tournament at the Philippine Women’s Open last week.

Ms. Tjen was supposed to play in the same tourney inspired by Ms. Eala if not for a second-round campaign in the Australian Open after stunning singles No. 23 Ms. Fernandez, 6-2, 7-6(7-1).

Ms. Eala in the same tourney bowed to WTA No. 99 Alycia Parks of the United States, 6-0, 2-6, 3-6. — John Bryan Ulanday