Alex Eala will begin her campaign at the WTA 500 Mubadala DC Open with a first-round matchup against China’s Qinwen Zheng.
The two have history already. Back at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Eala and Zheng faced off in the semifinals, with the Chinese tennis star emerging victorious after three grueling sets, 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3.
Zheng went on to win the final and capture the Asian Games gold medal, while the Rafa Nadal Academy graduate settled for the bronze.
About three years later, the two will once again meet in a WTA tournament.
The 21-year-old Filipina is coming off a historic third-round finish at Wimbledon, with the Mubadala DC Open serving as her first tournament after more than 20 days of rest.
Meanwhile, the world No. 123 has already competed in a hard-court tournament following her first-round exit at Wimbledon. The 23-year-old was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the WTA 250 Athens Open at the hands of Barbora Krejcikova.
Eala Can Turn Full Focus on Singles Competition
In other news, Eala will no longer participate in the doubles tournament, as her supposed partner, Venus Williams, changed plans and instead teamed up with Diana Shnaider.
When asked what prompted the sudden change, Williams simply said things “didn’t work out” but didn’t elaborate.
“We had a great time playing at Bad Homburg, so we were looking forward to playing again. It didn’t work out this time. I would love for there to be future times. We’ll see what happens,” Williams said.
The Filipina-American partnership began at the Bad Homburg Open, where the pair won their opening match by defeating Australia’s Alexandra Osborne and the United States’ Catherine Harrison. They were then eliminated in the following round by Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Great Britain’s Olivia Nicholls.
With no doubles matches to worry about, Alex Eala can now fully focus on and prepare for her singles campaign in what could be another historic run as she pursues a potential third WTA championship.
Alex Eala Next Match
- WTA 500 Mubadala DC Open
- Alex Eala vs. Qinwen Zheng
- Main Draw – Singles – Round of 32
- July 27 (Monday) – Time to be determined.
