Alexandra Eala and Ingrid Martins Eliminated in Australian Open Doubles First Round

Alexandra Eala and Ingrid Martins are out of the 2026 Australian Open, following a closely contested defeat on Tuesday evening (20 January). Despite a strong start to their women’s doubles campaign on court 14, the pair fell to Magda Linette and Aoyama Shuko – 6-7(3), 6-2, 3-6. Eala/Martins were in cruise control of the first set, leading 4-0 at one point. Linette then held her serve in game five to spark a magnificent turnaround alongside Aoyama, forcing things into a tiebreaker at 6-6, which the pair then won 7-3. The second set began in similar fashion, Eala and Martins setting the pace with a blistering start, which they maintained. The two held their serve throughout before breaking Aoyama’s serve in the eighth and final game to seal set two. After a brief medical timeout for Philippines star Eala, action resumed under Melbourne’s night sky where Linette/Aoyama returned to the court invigorated, clinching four games on the bounce to put them on the brink of the next round. Roared on by a vocal crowd, Eala/Martins fought their way back into the match with three consecutive games going in their favour, but failed to build on it. In the end, they were unable to deal with Aoyama and Linette, particularly the former at the net, bowing out at the first hurdle. The 20-year-old Eala was also defeated in the first round of the women's singles, in her debut appearance at the first Grand Slam of the year.