Despite a slow start in her Asian swing, Alex Eala has another opportunity to regain her footing as she heads to the Ningbo Open, looking to snap a run of early exits on the professional tour and rediscover the form that propelled her to a breakthrough title earlier this season.
The world No. 19 heads into the WTA 500 tournament in China after a round-of-16 exit at the Singapore Tennis Open, a bronze-medal finish at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, and a first-round defeat at the Wuhan Open.
Recent results have exposed a difficult stretch for Eala, who has struggled to sustain her level across matches despite showing flashes of the baseline aggression and shot-making that have made her a threat on tour. Since reaching the third round of the US Open, where she fell to American rising star Iva Jovic in three sets, the Filipina has been unable to translate promising starts into victories.
Her Asian swing began with a three-set loss to Russian qualifier Tatiana Prozorova in Singapore. Eala claimed the opening set, 6-4, but Prozorova raised her level to take the next two, 7-5, 6-3, sending the Filipina out in the round of 16.
The 21-year-old lefty subsequently shifted her attention to the Asian Games, where she entered the women’s singles draw as the top seed and one of the Philippines’ strongest gold-medal hopes. She advanced to the semifinals with a commanding 7-5, 6-0 victory over Chinese Taipei’s Joanna Garland in the quarterfinals, but her title bid ended against China’s Wang Xiyu, who recovered from a set down to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
However, Eala’s return to the professional circuit at the Wuhan Open brought another setback. Facing Chinese qualifier Han Shi, Eala took the first set, 6-4, and held a 3-2 advantage in the second before her opponent reeled off seven consecutive games. Han eventually completed a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 comeback in two hours and 27 minutes, ending Eala’s campaign in the opening round.
These recent results have tested her ability to maintain consistency, but Eala has remained grounded in her approach to the sport, understanding that setbacks are part of the process of competing at the highest level.
“At the end of the day, being a professional tennis player and a competitive tennis player, losing is part of the job and losing is always a possibility,” Eala said after bagging the bronze medal in the Asian Games.
The losses also underlined a recurring issue in Eala’s recent matches: getting ahead has not always translated into closing out sets or maintaining momentum. At Ningbo, protecting her service games, managing unforced errors and staying aggressive without rushing her groundstrokes will be important as she looks to snap her three-match losing skid in the WTA Tour.
That will be put to the test as early as the first round in Eala’s matchup against world No. 32 Diane Parry. The former Monterrey Open champion will provide another examination of Eala’s ability to dictate rallies, move her opponent around the court and maintain her composure in the decisive moments. With both players looking to improve their recent form, the first-round encounter could hinge on who manages the pressure points more effectively.
A win over Parry would set up a potential second-round meeting with world No. 13 and sixth seed Diana Shnaider, whose aggressive fellow lefty baseline game would present another stern test for Eala. A possible third-round rematch with Iva Jovic could then await the Filipina if both players advance, offering another opportunity to measure herself against a rising American who has troubled her in their previous meetings. But before looking too far ahead, Eala’s immediate priority is to rediscover the patterns that make her effective, particularly her ability to take the ball early, create angles and dictate points rather than being pushed onto the defensive.
As the season enters its closing stretch, the Ningbo Open offers Eala a chance to address the inconsistencies that have surfaced during her Asian swing and rebuild the momentum she carried into the US Open. Beyond ending her losing streak, the challenge for the Filipina is to rediscover the composure and sustained level of play that have allowed her to compete with the world’s best and win her maiden title in Washington and win seven straight matches along the way.
