MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala and her friend/doubles partner Zeynep Sönmez of Turkey advance in the round of 16 at the 2026 Madrid Open after defeating Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Hungary’s Fanny Stollar, 6-2, 6-2, on Thursday evening (Manila time) at the Caja Magica (Magic Box), Park Manzanares in Madrid, Spain.
Eala and Sönmez have been close friends since meeting at an ITF tournament in France in 2023. Their bond has captivated fans, especially after the duo appeared together in WTA vlogs during the 2026 Abu Dhabi Open.
Despite playing against each other in the 2026 Abu Dhabi Open, the two had a four-hour dinner together the night before the match, won by Eala.
This chemistry allowed the two to defeat doubles specialist Hao-Ching, who is currently ranked No. 38 in doubles (reached a doubles career-high of World No. 5 last June 2016), and No. 27 Stollar.
Eala is currently ranked 103rd in doubles, while Sonmez is ranked 67th
