Ahead of the 2026 French Open, Alex Eala will first compete in the WTA 125 Parma Ladies Open in Italy—with a notable caveat.
So far, the 20-year-old Filipinas has been struggling playing in clay courts, having won only three of her nine matches in clay dating back to last season. It’s why it’s certain that Alex Eala and her team will do everything to get her playing better on this surface ahead of Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam of the year.
That’s probably one of the reasons Eala, now ranked No. 44, will be playing in the WTA 125 Parma Ladies Open just before competing in the French Open.
Clay Court Schedule Overlap for Alex Eala
However, Eala’s participation in the Parma Ladies Open is contingent on how she performs at the WTA 1000 Italian Open. The latter will run from May 11 to 16, which means it will be overlapping with the latter. Put simply, the Filipina could miss out on the Parma Ladies Open if she has a deep run in the Italian Open, which will run from May 5 to 17.
This is the same scenario Alex Eala faced early this year, when her participation in the inaugural WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open depended on how far she’d go in the year’s first Grand Slam, the Australian Open. But Eala got eliminated by Alycia Parks early, paving the way for her to come and compete in the Philippines’ first ever WTA tournament.
Alex Eala Updated Clay Court Schedule
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.
WTA 125 Parma Ladies Open (May 11 to 16)
Another tournament debut for Alex Eala as she’s part of the player list
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.
