Filipina ace Alex Eala has gone 0-2 in in her last two matches, both on clay, after losing her second match in the Linz Open (after beating Julia Grabher in her opener) and her first match in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. That is certainly a cause of concern for the Quezon City native, who is set to also compete at the 2026 WTA 1000 Madrid Open. Unfortunately for the young star, her record in Madrid is seemingly hinting at more trouble ahead.
Alex Eala Is 2-4 in Madrid Open
Eala’s Madrid Open record is a losing one. The Rafa Nadal Academy alumna only has victories over Lesia Tsurenko in 2024 and Viktoriya Tomova in 2025, and both came in the first round.
In 2022, Eala lost to Anna Bondar in the Qualifying Round. In 2023, she lost in the first round to Tatjana Maria. In the two times she managed to advance to the second round, Eala lost to Sorana Cirstea in 2024 and Iga Swiatek in 2025.
Clearly, history is pretty clear: Clay courts aren’t Alex Eala’s best friend.
Losing Is Part of Growing
Fans are right to expect Eala to win championships here and there. After all, she has done it already. But the 20-year-old is still only starting out her career, and expecting her to make deep run after deep run doesn’t seem fair at all.
The truth of the matter is Eala will lose her fair share, and that has already happened in her last two tournaments. But losing is also part of an athlete’s life, and how Eala responds to it could eventually determine how far she’ll go later on.
Would it be great if Eala makes a deep run in Madrid this time? Of course! But fans should give her leeway, too, and still support her in case she does fall again early.
Alex Eala Confirmed Clay Court Tournaments
WTA 1000 Madrid Open (April 21 to May 3)
Alex Eala is part of the Main Draw.
WTA 1000 Italian Open (May 5 to 17)
Eala lost to Marta Kostyuk in the first round last year. Even so, she is still part of the player list this year.
Grand Slam Roland Garros/French Open (May 24 to June 7)
Despite losing in her debut match last year, Eala is again part of the Main Draw of her second Grand Slam this 2026.
