Report: Venus Williams ‘re-pairs’, not playing doubles with Alexandra Eala at Mubadala DC Open

After Alexandra Eala and Venus Williams were touted as one of the exciting doubles pairings for the WTA 500 Mubadala DC Open, the draw has been revealed, and the pair is not playing together.

Eala is not in the doubles draw. Venus is pairing with Diana Shnaider.

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Was it Venus’s decision?

The duo is still listed on the tournament homepage and were seen training together on Friday, July 24.

No one has explained why this occurred.

The explanation received so far is that Venus “re-paired.”

Maybe Eala is dealing with an injury because this is an odd sequence of events that caught everyone off guard.

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North American hardcourt season suffering multiple setbacks

The North American hardcourt swing is already suffering with Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic out of the National Bank Open.

This part of the season is short but jam packed. The DC Open is immediately followed by back-to-back 1000-level tournaments in Canada and Cincinnati with a small respite before US Open main draw action.

The tennis calendar continues to be under scrutiny for 12-day 1000-level tournaments occurring back-to-back before a Grand Slam.

In the meantime, fans are eager to see their favorite players on the hardcourts in Washington, DC. Qualifying is underway, and the main draw play begins on July 27.

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