Filipina tennis player Alex Eala ends three-match losing streak at Ningbo Open
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The gist
Filipina tennis player Alex Eala beat France's Diane Parry 6-3, 6-1 in the Ningbo Open first round.
The win ended a slump that had raised questions about her form.
Background
Alexandra Eala is a 21-year-old Filipina tennis player ranked world No. 20 and the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour-level singles title. She had the best season of her career in 2026, winning her first WTA title in Washington D.C., reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon and breaking into the top 20. Her results since the US Open had been poor, with only two wins in five matches and none against a player ranked inside the world's top 80, which put her recent form under scrutiny before the Ningbo Open.
How it unfolded
- Aug 2026Eala won the Mubadala DC Open in Washington, beating top seed Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in a rain-delayed final, becoming the first Filipino to win a WTA Tour singles title.
- Oct 8, 2026The Philippine Tennis Association said Eala was not penalized by the WTA after PHILTA sought an exemption because she was representing her country in an event connected to Olympic qualification.
- Oct 12, 2026Eala lost her Wuhan Open first-round singles match to China's Han Shi, ranked No. 217, surrendering a one-set lead.
- Oct 13, 2026Eala and Zeynep Sonmez lost their Wuhan doubles first-round match 6-2, 6-3 to Anhelina Kalinina and Dayana Yastremska.
- Oct 19, 2026Eala beat France's Diane Parry 6-3, 6-1 in the Ningbo Open first round, ending a three-match tour-level losing streak.
- Oct 22, 2026Eala was set to face No. 6 seed Diana Shnaider of Russia in the Ningbo Open Round of 16; she stood at No. 18 in the live rankings, matching her career high.
Who’s saying what
- Expert
- Former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski said he is not worried about Eala's dip, calling it not unusual and saying she will bounce back, whether at the end of this year or the beginning of 2027.
- Support
- Filipino pole vault star EJ Obiena said bad streaks are practically guaranteed in sport and urged people to pick athletes up when they are down, saying harsh comments do not help them return stronger.
- Official
- Philippine Tennis Association Secretary-General John Rey Tiangco said PHILTA is immensely proud of Eala, grateful for what she has done for Philippine tennis and fully behind her as she continues to make history.
- Party
- Eala said after beating Parry that she was very happy with her performance in what she called a really good, tough first round, and maintained that tournament organizers, not players, determine court assignments.
Still unverified
Eala's participation in the 2027 Philippine Women's Open is uncertain; the Philippine Tennis Association confirmed it remains uncertain after officials initially indicated on Thursday that the world No. 19 would not be able to take part because of WTA rules. Reports of the Wuhan Open score also differ, with one source giving Eala's loss to Han Shi as 6-4, 3-6, 3-6 and others as 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to Shi.