The Philippines’ Alex Eala delivered yet another career-defining performance after pulling an upset win against world-ranked No. 2 Elena Rybakina, 7-5, 6-4, in the Round of 16 of the Berlin Tennis Open.
Eala Takes the Opening Set After Being Down 1-4
Rybakina came out firing early, using her booming serve and aggressive baseline play to race to a commanding 4-1 lead in the opening set. The 2022 Wimbledon champion looked poised to take control as she piled up aces and dictated the tempo from the baseline.
But Eala refused to fold. The 21-year-old Filipina gradually solved Rybakina’s serve, applying relentless pressure on second deliveries while extending rallies and forcing errors from the 27-year-old Kazakh.
Eala broke serve in the seventh game before leveling the set at 4-4 behind confident serving highlighted by back-to-back aces of her own.
After Rybakina briefly regained the edge at 5-4, Eala responded in emphatic fashion. The Filipina swept the final three games of the set, earning a crucial break in the 11th game before serving it out after nearly an hour of intense shotmaking and momentum swings.
Alex Eala Maintains Her Composure in a Climactic Second Set
Carrying that momentum into the second set, the world-ranked No. 35 quickly seized control. She earned an early break for a 3-1 advantage and stayed composed through Rybakina’s repeated comeback attempts.
However, the No. 2 seed in the tournament continued to hammer aces, became faster on her court coverage, and her smart returns proved decisive.
Rybakina was able to trim the deficit to 5-4 and threatened to force a late twist, but Eala held her nerve in the final game. With fearless serving and clutch shotmaking, the Filipina closed out the upset victory in straight sets after one hour and 31 minutes.
Alex Eala finished the match with another impressive all-around performance, neutralizing one of the WTA Tour’s biggest servers while capitalizing on Rybakina’s mounting unforced errors. Her composure in key moments once again stood out as she improved her grass-court record this season to 8-1.
Sweet Revenge for Alex Eala as She Enters the Quarterfinals
Fresh off her victory over Donna Vekic in the opening round, Eala was able to get her revenge against the Kazakh multi-titled champion after losing to her last month at the Italian Open.
The victory also sends the Rafa Nadal Academy alumna into the quarterfinals, where she will face world No. 6 Elina Svitolina in their first-ever meeting as the Filipina continues her dream run in Berlin.
Alex Eala’s triumph marked her fifth career victory over a Top 10 player and her second against a reigning world No. 2, following her memorable upset of Iga Świątek back in the Miami Open last year.
Alex Eala Next Match
Alex Eala vs. Elina Svitolina
Tournament: WTA 500 Berlin Tennis Open
Date: Friday, June 19 at 11:30 p.m. (Time subject to change.)
Category: Singles (Quarterfinals, Main Draw)
