Alex Eala defeated Magdalena Frech, 6-0, 3-6, 6-4, to reach the second round of the Italian Open.
After making a strong start, Eala looked to be in trouble, facing break points at 4-4 in the deciding set.
Refusing to be beaten, she held serve before securing a late break, as Eala won her first match at the Italian Open.
How far can Alex Eala go at the Italian Open?
She's into the second round!
Eala later revealed what she told her coaching team during her three-set win over Frech.
Alex Eala admits she wasn’t ‘tired’ enough during her first-round win in Rome
During an interview with the ‘Tennis Channel‘, Eala was asked how she won the match.
“I think I told myself that I was not tired enough,” she said.
“I told my team that I was not finishing the points tired enough, so maybe the intensity went down a little bit.
“I tried my best to give that little extra push every single point, and it paid off.”
Eala eased into a one-set lead, but took her foot off the gas, so to speak, as she dropped the second set.
Picking up the intensity when it mattered most, the Filipina secured her place in the third round.
Eala knows that at this level, she needs to be at her best to win matches.
“Everybody is really good at this level, and anything can happen,” she said.
“I think that is the beautiful thing about tennis, but at the same time it is a profession which really keeps you on your toes and is really high pressure because every single match is a different circumstance and situation.
“Sometimes one match can change a lot for you, especially when you are changing seasons, or for me, clay is not my strongest surface, so every match is a battle.”
Clay has caused Eala problems in the past, although she’s made a notable step forward in 2026.
Alex Eala’s WTA Tour main draw wins on clay (By year)
- 2021 – 1
- 2022 – 0
- 2023 – 0
- 2024 – 1
- 2025 – 1
- 2026 – 3*
Eala has already set a new personal record for clay-court wins in a season (3).
Alex Eala’s clay-court record (2026)
| Match | Opponent | Result | Score |
| Linz Open – 1R | Julia Grabher | WIN | 6-4, 6-3 |
| Linz Open – 2R | Jelena Ostapenko | LOSS | 4-6, 5-7 |
| Stuttgart Open – 1R | Leylah Fernandez | LOSS | 1-6, 4-6 |
| Madrid Open – 1R | Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova | WIN | 6-3, 6-3 |
| Madrid Open – 2R | Elise Mertens | LOSS | 2-6, 1-6 |
| Italian Open – 1R | Magdalena Frech | WIN | 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 |
3-3 on clay this year, Eala will be looking to improve her record when she returns for her second-round match.
Who will Alex Eala play next at the Italian Open?
Next up for Eala is a tricky test against the 31st seed, Xinyu Wang.
Eala and Wang have met once before, in the semi-finals of this year’s ASB Classic.
Looking to advance to just her second WTA final, Eala led her Chinese opponent by a set to love, but couldn’t hold on to her advantage.
Wang fought back to win in three sets, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4.
Eala would love nothing more than to return the favour in Rome, knowing who could await her in the third round.
The world number two, Elena Rybakina, is Eala or Wang’s most likely third-round opponent.
Rybakina won the Australian Open in January and has already picked up a clay-court title this year, winning in Stuttgart.
Eala and Rybakina, two of the most popular players in women’s tennis have yet to play each other on the WTA Tour.
Will they do so for the first time in Rome?
Only time will tell.
First, Eala will play Wang, and Rybakina will play Lilli Tagger or Maria Sakkari in the second round.
