PARIS - Alexandra Eala on Tuesday achieved a first Grand Slam match win for a Filipino woman, saying she hoped her doubles success at the French Open was part of "a new era for sport" in her country.

She teamed up with Mexico's Renata Zarazua to defeat Britain's Emily Appleton and Spain's Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers 7-5, 6-4 and book a place in the second round.

The win came two days after the 20-year-old, the first woman from her country to compete in a Grand Slam, was eliminated in the first round of the singles by Emiliana Arango of Colombia 6-0, 2-6, 6-3.

"It's so heartwarming," Eala told AFP of her Grand Slam match win.

"Of course, it's always good to come back and compete well after a singles loss, especially after a tight one.

"I'm feeling good, it's my debut in Grand Slam doubles so I'm feeling happy to be playing with Renata and to have my first Slam win.

"Of course, it was a difficult (singles) loss but in the end I think there's things to take away and I try to do better in the doubles."

The support from home has been "positive", she said.

"They're happy to see a Filipino competing in the main draw in Paris."

Eala is part of a new generation of Filipino sports stars. She has trained since the age of 13 at Rafael Nadal's academy in Mallorca, Spain.

She lifted the 2022 US Open girls' singles trophy and reached the semi-finals at Miami in March when, ranked 140th in the world, she beat three Grand Slam winners in Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and world number two Iga Swiatek.

"I think we're entering a new era for Filipino sport," the 73rd-ranked player said, pointing to the success of gymnast Carlos Yulo who took two gold medals at the Paris Olympics last year.

"Filipinos are very talented and very hard workers. There's a support, a community, because it's not often you (have) seen Filipino athletes excel on the international stage, so every time someone does good we're very happy for them."

'GOOD VIBES'

Eala spoke warmly about her chemistry with Zarazua and said the decision to team up wasn’t a last-minute one. 

“First time kami mag-partner dito pero magkaibigan naman kami nang matagal, maganda ang chemistry namin sa court. All the time smiling. Good vibes. We had planned this previously. We’ve tried a few times, but in the end, didn’t push through. So happy to be here with her,” Eala said. 

Coming off a difficult loss in her main draw Grand Slam singles match debut, Eala admitted it was a mental challenge to reset, 

“Of course, It was a tight match… difficult loss," she said. 

 When asked how she transitioned mentally from singles to doubles, she said, “I think pag sa doubles kasi, generally, mas masaya at mas light. Hindi masyado mabigat. The fact na may kasama ka sa court, nakakatulong yan sa pagiging masaya, fun, iba yung energy, chemistry namin, and nakakatulong din pag kinakabahan ka or, you know, some moments.”

Eala and Zarazua are set to face Serbia’s Olga Danilovic and Russia’s Anastasia Potapova in the second round.

Danilovic, a left-hander, is known for her heavy topspin and clay-court prowess, while Potapova brings power and strong net instincts, having excelled in juniors and made her mark on the WTA Tour.

Despite the tougher challenge ahead, Eala said, “I haven’t looked at the draw yet, but I’m just, I’m happy to be there. I think I focus on recovering right now.” -- With a report from Maan Alcantara-Rivera and Ma. Socorro De Jesus