From fan to friend: How a DM created Alex Eala, Coco Gauff partnership in Italian Open

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Thanks to an Instagram DM pitch by Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala, world No. 3 Coco Gauff now enjoys a 'relaxed vibe' with winning energy to boot in the 2025 Italian Open doubles tournament

MANILA, Philippines – To be the best, you have to beat the best, and learn from the best.

Alex Eala has done the first part in her tennis career, so she went and tried the second, and it turned out as simple as it sounded.

Ranked world No. 70, Eala reached out to world No. 3 Coco Gauff in the hope of a doubles team-up in the 2025 Italian Open, and the latter obliged without much of a passing thought.

“She DM’d me on Instagram. She slid in my DMs and asked me to play. I was like, ‘Sure, why not?,'” Gauff recounted to Tennis.com.

“We really didn’t know each other, honestly, before [the] Madrid [Open]. I said hi to her for the first time in Madrid or maybe Miami, we may have briefly said hello. I figured she would be nice so I was just hoping she would be, you know?”

Trending down since historic Miami Open giant-slaying spree, the 19-year-old Eala has since hit her fair amount of speed bumps in transitioning to the clay court season, including tournament pullouts and blowout losses in the build to the French Open.

Serving as both a distraction from the setbacks and inspiration for future winning streaks, Eala’s partnership with Gauff paid immediate dividends with a resounding 6-3, 6-1 victory over Alexandra Panova and Fanny Stollar in the Italian Open doubles Round of 32.

A young phenom herself at just 21 years old, Gauff has since loved her partnership with the 19-year-old Eala, and the pair now seek a takedown of Italian home bets Tyra Grant and Lisa Pigato on Tuesday, May 13.

Obviously, she’s such a nice person. When there’s people finally my age on tour, I’m glad to interact. For me, it was a good opportunity to play doubles but also have a relaxed vibe with another player,” Gauff continued.

“I’m super happy to play with her, and obviously she’s a killer in doubles: two junior Slams and probably some future ones too.” – Rappler.com