The doubles campaign for Venus Williams and Alexandra Eala came to an end early in Toronto, but what followed the loss turned out to be the more memorable part of the dat. Speaking in their joint press conference after falling 6-4, 6-3 to Miyu Kato and Liudmila Samsonova in the first round, Venus turned to her young partner with an idea of her own.

“I think Alex has got to put on her list to play with Serena one day,” Venus said. Eala’s reaction was immediate. “Oh my God,” she said, laughing, as Venus continued, “Then she can complete the Williams sisters.”

Though it was just a suggestion or perhaps a proposal, the moment lit up the press room anyway. The pair couldn’t manage a good start against Kato and Samsonova, dropping serve early and never fully recovering, a disappointing finish to just their second tournament together after debuting at the Bad Homburg Open in June, where they won their opener before falling in the quarterfinals.

The real Serena pairing, as it turns out, belongs to Venus herself. Since Serena’s comeback after four years away from the sport, there’s been constant speculation about who she would choose as a doubles partner. She teamed up with Victoria Mboko at Queen’s Club and Karolina Muchova on clay in Berlin, before a planned reunion with Venus at Wimbledon fell apart when Serena suffered a right knee injury during her singles match against Maya Joint.

Fans won’t have to wait much longer to see the sisters back together, though. Venus and Serena are set to reunite as a doubles pair next week at Cincinnati, their first time playing together since the 2022 US Open.

Eala, for her part, made clear just how much Serena’s return has meant to her, even from the outside looking in.

“I remember when Serena came back in Wimbledon, I also went to watch her game from the stands, like the end of the second and a bit of the third,” Eala said. “So just to be able to really experience it live and from a closer vicinity than I did when I was younger, it’s a great pleasure for me.”

Having played a long grass-court season, Eala had decided to skip the doubles event with Venus in Washington, which caused some criticism from fans. However, the decision proved right, as the Filipino player achieved a major milestone during her singles campaign at the Citi DC Open.

Alexandra Eala Had Her Biggest Career Moment in Washington

Coming into Washington, Eala had a great run on the grass, winning a Challenger title and reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon. The Filipino player had beaten some high-profile opponents on grass, including Elena Rybakina, Elina Svitolina, and, most notably, Iga Swiatek on Center Court at SW19.

However, the campaign that the Filipino player put together at the Citi DC Open in Washington would rival any other. She started off by beating Zheng Qinwen, the Olympic champion, and then beat the defending champion, Leylah Fernandez.

Cheered on by a massive Filipino contingent, Eala continued her run, reaching the final with wins over Elina Svitolina and Naomi Osaka. She faced the top seed, Jessica Pegula, in the final, in her second Tour-level final. In a rain-interrupted final that went on for two days, the crowd favorite made a remarkable comeback to beat Pegula in three sets to secure her maiden title on the Tour.

The short turnaround hasn’t slowed her down in Toronto either. She’s opened her singles campaign with wins over Alycia Parks and Caty McNally, and will next face Belinda Bencic, with a place in the quarterfinals on the line.