Young star Alexandra Eala is not competing in the WTA 1000 China Open this week, despite being a top 60 player who would automatically qualify for the event.
This is not the first time Eala has contested a small WTA event in recent memory, having competed in the Guadalajara 125 event earlier this month.
Following that tournament, Eala chose not to compete in the Guadalajara WTA 500 event, instead opting for a WTA 250 event in São Paulo, Brazil.
This week, Eala has chosen to participate in the Jingshan WTA 125 tournament, rather than the WTA 1000 tournament being held in Beijing.
Eala’s decision to prioritise these smaller events seems unusual given the significant opportunity to improve her ranking at these bigger tournaments.
However, there may be a simple explanation.
Alexandra Eala’s opportunity to improve her serve
Alexandra Eala – who trains at the Rafa Nadal Academy – is a marvellous player to watch: one who has showcased powerful, accurate groundstrokes while also demonstrating her ability to raise her level in pressurised moments.
However, there is one particular area of her game that requires improvement – her serve.
Eala’s serve is far from poor. As per Sofascore, Eala has made 67.1 per cent of first serves over her last 10 matches, winning 63.9 per cent of those points.
However, her serve lacks the power to challenge some of the biggest ball strikers on the WTA Tour.
During her professional career so far, the Filipino star has regularly served below 90mph on her first serve, giving strong ball strikers – like Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka – the opportunity to capitalise from the very first return.
While Eala has been able to manage this weakness effectively up to now, she will struggle to win consistently against the very best if her serve speed does not increase.
Therefore, Eala may be prioritising smaller WTA events to steadily improve her ranking, while improving her serve.
Eala acknowledged the need to improve her serve in April, during an interview with ANC 24/7.
Alexandra Eala wins her first match in Jingshan
At the Jingshan Open, Alexandra Eala is the firm favourite to win her second WTA title, following her maiden triumph earlier this month.
In her first match in Jingshan, the 20-year-old defeated Aljona Falej 6-3, 7-5.
Eala, the number one seed, will play Japan’s Mei Yamaguchi in the next round.
If Eala goes on to win her second WTA title, she could break into the WTA top 50 for the first time in her career.
