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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Alex Eala opens Italian Open bid vs Polish rival as rematch with Xinyu Wang looms

Alex Eala opens Italian Open bid vs Polish rival as rematch with Xinyu Wang looms

Published May 5, 2026 03:15 pm

At A Glance

  • Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala guns for a strong start when she takes on world No. 45 Magdalena Frech of Poland in the opening round of the WTA 1000 Italian Open in Rome Wednesday, May 6.
Alex Eala (Italian Open)
Alex Eala (Italian Open)
Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala guns for a strong start when she takes on world No. 45 Magdalena Frech of Poland in the opening round of the WTA 1000 Italian Open in Rome Wednesday, May 6.
Coming from a week-long break after her quick exit at WTA 1000 Mutua Madrid Open, Eala, 20, resumes her clay-court swing as she looks to regain her winning form against the former No. 22 Frech in their first-ever encounter in the women’s professional circuit.
Though they share the same glory at the Guadalajara Open in Mexico, where Eala, who recently hiked her ranking to No. 42 despite begging off from WTA 125 Catalonia Open, took home the crown in the meet’s 125 edition last year, while the 28-year-old Frech bagged a 500 title in 2024.
Both players are coming off Round-of-64 defeat, with Eala falling to Belgian Elise Mertens, 2-6, 1-6, while Frech was upset by Argentina’s Solana Sierra, 2-6, 4-6.
Match time between Eala and Frech has not been finalized yet.
If Eala prevails over the more experienced Frech, she could set up a rematch with China’s Xinyu Wang, who received a first-round bye.
Wang bested the charming Filipina lefty, 7-5, 5-7, 4-6, in the semifinals of the WTA 250 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. The Chinese then bowed to eventual champion Ukrainian Elina Svitolina by absorbing a 6-3, 7-6 (8) finals loss.
The Southeast Asian Games multi-medalist is looking to eclipse her run on Italian soil where she immediately bowed out last year with a 0-6, 1-6 Round-of-128 loss to Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.
Eala, however, excelled in the doubles event after joining force with current No. 4 Coco Gauff. They landed in the quarters where the Filipino-American duo got bested by eventual back-to-back champions and hometown bets Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani.

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