Filipina tennis ace Alexandra “Alex” Eala delivered a strong all-around performance at the 2026 Mutua Madrid Open, where she advanced in both the women’s singles and doubles competitions.
Eala, ranked 44th in the world, showcased poise and consistency in her first singles match of the tournament to dispatch her opening-round opponent, 34-year-old Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova from Russia. Eala prevailed with a straight set 6-3, 6-3 triumph to move into the Round of 64.
Shortly after her singles triumph, Eala returned to the court with her close friend Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey for doubles action. The duo displayed strong chemistry and combined effective net play to dispatch the Chinese-Hungarian pair of Chan Hao-ching and Fanny Stollar, 6-2, 6-2, to advance to the Round of 16.
During her match with Pavlyuchenkova, the 20-year-old relied on her steady baseline game and sharp court coverage to control the tempo, setting up a highly anticipated showdown against Belgium’s Elise Mertens, the world number 21 in singles and world number 1 in doubles, in the next round.
This will be Eala’s first tough test in this WTA 1000 event. Fans are looking forward to discover how hard she prepared for the tournament, especially in the areas of shot selection, service, and overall mental toughness that will determine how well she will progress in her latest clay-court campaign.