Alex Eala scores breakthrough clay win, reaches Italian Open third round

MANILA, Philippines – It seems Alex Eala is slowly finding her footing on clay.

After early exits in her first three clay tournaments of the year, Eala stayed in contention in the Italian Open following a 6-4, 6-3 win over China’s Wang Xinyu at the Foro Italico in Rome on Friday, May 8, that propelled her to the round of 32. 

Eala recovered from a 0-3 hole to start the match and stunned the higher-ranked Wang as she advanced to the third round of the main draw of a WTA Tour clay event for the first time in her career. 

The last time the world No. 42 Eala won at least twice in a clay tournament was when she made the third round of qualifying in the 2024 French Open. 

Eala got broken twice in the first three games as Wang, ranked nine spots higher at No. 33, raced to a 3-0 lead, but the Filipina battled back and returned the favor as she also broke the Chinese twice in clinching the next four games to seize the upper hand at 4-3.

Wang pulled level at 4-4 only to witness Eala nail the first set. 

Eala carried her momentum to the second set, where she came back from a 2-3 deficit by winning the last next four games as she wrapped up the match in 1 hour and 23 minutes. 

It was redemption for Eala after she suffered a three-set loss to Wang in the semifinals of the ASB Classic in New Zealand in January — a defeat that denied the Filipina her second finals appearance in a WTA Tour event following her runner-up finish in the Eastbourne Open a year ago. 

Their head-to-head record stands at 1-1. 

Eala gets a chance at facing one of the best players on the WTA Tour as she tangles with the winner between world No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and Maria Sakkari of Greece in the next round of the WTA 1000 joust. – Rappler.com