Alex Eala, Nikola Bartunkova bow out of WTA 125 Birmingham Open doubles

Alexandra “Alex” Eala and Czech partner Nikola Bartunkova suffered a tough three-set defeat to Great Britain's Harriet Dart and Maia Lumsden, 6-4, 2-6, 11-9, in the Round of 16 of the WTA 125 Birmingham Open doubles on Monday.

Eala and Bartunkova raced to a 4-0 lead in the opening set, but Dart and Lumsden stormed back by winning six straight games to snatch the set, 6-4.

The Filipina-Czech tandem responded emphatically in the second set, dominating the British pair, 6-2, to force a deciding match tiebreak.

In a closely contested third-set tiebreak, however, Dart and Lumsden edged Eala and Bartunkova, 11-9, to advance to the quarterfinals.

Eala will now turn her attention to the singles competition, where the tournament's top seed is set to face Australia's Priscilla Hon in the Round of 32.

—JKC, GMA News