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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Fresh off Birmingham win, Eala rolls past Zhang at Queen's Club opener

Fresh off Birmingham win, Eala rolls past Zhang at Queen's Club opener

Published Jun 9, 2026 11:56 pm

At A Glance

  • Fresh off her title run at the Birmingham Classic over the weekend, Eala barely had time to catch her breath before returning to action, yet still looked sharp from the start to cruise past the 36-year-old Chinese veteran.
Alex Eala. (File Photo/ AP)
Alex Eala. (File Photo/ AP)
Alex Eala showed no signs of fatigue as she dispatched multiple Grand Slam doubles champion Shuai Zhang, 6-3, 6-2, to launch her HSBC Championships campaign in emphatic fashion at the Queen’s Club late Tuesday, June 9 (Philippine time).
Fresh off her title run at the Birmingham Classic over the weekend, Eala barely had time to catch her breath before returning to action, yet still looked sharp from the start to cruise past the 36-year-old Chinese veteran.
The victory arranged the Filipina ace a meeting with close friend and sixth seed Iva Jovic, who earlier thumped Antonia Ruzic,6-3, 6-4.
Zhang, who advanced through the qualifying rounds, came out firing and raced to a 2-0 lead in the opening set, but Eala quickly settled into her rhythm by reeling off three straight games to seize a 3-2 advantage.
The pair held serve over the next two games before Eala struck at a crucial moment, breaking Zhang in the eighth game to take control and eventually close out the opener.
The Filipina did not waste time in the second frame, cruising to a 4-1 lead and never looked back.

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Alex Eala Queen\'s Club Championships
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