By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negrense tennis star Alex Eala and seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams will once again join forces after confirming their entry in the doubles draw of the Mubadala DC Open later this month.

Tournament organizers announced the reunion on social media, revealing that Williams and Eala are “locked in for doubles in DC” for the WTA 500 event scheduled from July 25 to August 2 in Washington, DC.

The partnership comes just weeks after the pair made an impressive run at the Bad Homburg Open in Germany, where they reached the quarterfinals in their first tournament together before falling to second-seeded Olivia Nicholls of Great Britain and Tereza Mihalikova of Slovakia.

Despite the early exit, both players spoke positively about their partnership.

Eala described playing alongside Williams as a dream come true, saying she never imagined she would have the privilege of competing with the American tennis legend and that she was grateful for everything she learned from the experience.

Williams also had high praise for the Filipina, calling Eala a talented and highly competitive player.

The former World’s No. 1 said they had little time to prepare before Bad Homburg and expressed hope they would get another opportunity to team up.

That opportunity will now come in Washington as the two look to build on the chemistry they developed during their first tournament together.

The Mubadala DC Open serves as one of the final hard-court tune-up events before the US Open, giving Eala another chance to gain valuable experience alongside one of the most accomplished players in tennis history while competing against a strong doubles field./ASC, WDJ