Alex Eala and Venus Williams are set to play doubles together for the first time when they set foot in Hamburg later this week.
Venus, a five-time Wimbledon singles champion, has competed alongside a variety of WTA stars since making her return to the sport last July.
Venus last played doubles alongside Katie Boulter at the Madrid Open. The pair reached the round of 16, before losing to Hsieh Su-wei and Sofia Kenin.
It’s the end of the 2026 season… How many matches has Venus Williams won this year? Where is she ranked? Let us know in the comments👇
Venus has now discovered her path to the Bad Homburg title – and it is a tricky one!
Alex Eala and Venus Williams could play the second seeds at the Bad Homburg Open
Alex Eala and Venus Williams will have to perform at their absolute best if they wish to win the Bad Homburg Women’s Doubles title.
The pair, who received wildcards for the event, were due to play against Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Chinese Taipei’s En-Shuo Liang.
However, Liang has since withdrawn, meaning Venus and Eala will now play qualifiers in the first round.
If Eala and Venus navigate their way past their first-round opponents, they could play second seeds Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls in the second round.
Venus Williams and Alex Eala’s path to the Bad Homburg title
- First round: qualifiers
- Quarter-finals: Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls [seeded second]
- Semi-finals: Ellen Perez and Demi Schuurs [seeded third]
- Final: Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe [seeded first]
Mihalikova and Nicholls have recently established themselves as one of the best doubles pairings on the Tour.
The duo, both ranked 22nd on the circuit, recently won the Queen’s Club Championships title, defeating Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the final.
However, the pair’s excellent form soon disintegrated, as they then suffered a surprising defeat in their opening round of the Berlin Open.
If Venus and Eala advance to the semi-finals in Germany, they will most probably play third seeds Ellen Perez and Demi Schuurs.
Venus Williams’ best doubles performance since returning to the Tour
You have to travel back nine months to locate Venus Williams’ most prolific campaign since making her long-awaited return to the professional circuit.
Venus and Canadian star Leylah Fernandez produced some superb tennis to reach the US Open quarter-finals.
The North American duo defeated Ljudmyla Kitschenok and Ellen Perez, Ulrikke Eikeri and Eri Hozumi, and Ekaterina Alexandrova and Shuai Zhang to reach the last eight in Flushing Meadows.
Their run came to an end against top seeds Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova.
The American-Czech duo defeated Venus and Fernandez 6-1, 6-2 inside Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“I’m really happy with the way that we played today,” said Townsend afterwards, as per the US Open.
“Especially playing opponents that are that tough and are able to kind of make adjustments on the fly, and Venus is a legend and understands and knows how to win and figure things out when things aren’t going her way.
“And Leylah the same. She always is a fighter.
“It really made me very proud, and I’m sure Kat as well, of the way we were able to stay solid from start to finish.”
Townsend and Siniakova went on to reach the final, before losing to third seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe.
