Alex Eala will look to bounce back from her loss to Jelena Ostapenko when she competes in the Stuttgart Open this week.
Eala most recently competed in Linz, where she defeated Julia Grabher before losing to Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets.
The loss was particularly heartbreaking for Eala: she led the Latvian 5-1 in the second set before eventually losing the contest 4-6, 5-7.
What is the best win of Alexandra Eala’s career so far? 🤔
Iga Swiatek in Miami, Clara Tauson at the US Open, Jasmine Paolini in Dubai, or a different match?
This week, the Filipina star will face former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez in her Stuttgart Open first-round match.
Eala is ranked 20 places below Fernandez and, in theory, should be the underdog heading into her match against the Canadian.
However, this is simply not the case when analysing both players’ form at the start of this year.
Alex Eala is the favourite against Leylah Fernandez
Alex Eala has enjoyed an impressive start to the 2026 campaign, winning 15 of her 24 matches on the WTA Tour.
Moreover, Eala has defeated multiple top-10 ranked players at the start of this year, including Coco Gauff and Jasmine Paolini.
During this stretch, Eala has made quarter-final appearances in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and one semi-final appearance in Auckland.
Leylah Fernandez, meanwhile, has won only five of her 14 matches on the Tour so far this year.
Fernandez has won around 35 per cent of her matches, while Eala has won over 62 per cent.
Therefore, despite Eala being ranked 45th in the world – 20 places below Fernandez – the Filipina should feel confident heading into Tuesday’s first-round contest.
| Statistical Area | Alexandra Eala | Leylah Fernandez |
| Ace % | 1.2 | 3.2 |
| Double Fault % | 4.2 | 5.7 |
| First-serve % | 64.5 | 59.9 |
| First-serve points won [%] | 61.3 | 65.1 |
| Second-serve points won [%] | 48.1 | 48.4 |
Eala and Fernandez’s contest should be a fascinating watch, as they have never played each other on the WTA Tour before.
When will Alex Eala play Leylah Fernandez?
On Tuesday, Eala and Fernandez are scheduled to be the third match on the Stuttgart Open Centre Court.
Their match will follow Karolina Muchova vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Elise Mertens vs Ella Seidel.
Their match is scheduled to take place no earlier than 5pm. However, the start time could be pushed to later in the day if the previous fixtures take longer to complete than expected.
For those watching in the Philippines, Eala’s match is scheduled for no earlier than 11 pm.
For those viewing the match in Montreal – where Fernandez was born – the match is scheduled for no earlier than 11 am.
