Alex Eala Opens DC Open Against a Familiar Foe
Alex Eala begins her North American hard court swing with a tough assignment. The Filipina, ranked world No. 29, will face Zheng Qinwen in the first round of the Mubadala Citi DC Open, a combined WTA 500 and ATP 500 event running July 27 to August 2 in Washington, D.C.
The Draw
Eala enters the tournament unseeded, landing in the bottom half of the bracket. Her first opponent is a wildcard entry with major pedigree. Zheng, 23, once held a career-high ranking of No. 4, reached the final of the 2024 Australian Open, and won Olympic gold in singles at the 2024 Paris Games. An elbow surgery kept her off tour for much of last year, and she is still working her way back into form.
A Rematch Years in the Making
The two have met only once. Zheng beat an 18 year old Eala in the semifinals of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, on her way to winning gold. Four years later, both players return to the court with very different resumes attached to their names.
What’s Waiting in the Bottom Half
A win over Zheng would not clear an easy path. World No. 2 Elina Svitolina sits in the same half of the bracket. So does seventh seed Leylah Fernandez, the Canadian whose mother is Filipino. Naomi Osaka, a four time major winner, and 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin are both in the mix too, alongside eighth seed Emma Navarro. Any one of them could stand between Eala and a deep run.
Doubles Off the Table
Eala will not compete in doubles this week. She had been slated to partner Venus Williams, continuing on from the pair’s run to the Bad Homburg Open quarterfinals in June, their only prior team-up. Williams instead repaired with Diana Shnaider for the DC Open draw. Williams told reporters she would love to play with Eala again, just not this time.
The Bigger Picture
The DC Open marks Eala’s first tournament since her breakthrough Wimbledon campaign, where she became the first Filipino in the Open Era to reach the fourth round. She arrives in Washington with limited ranking points to defend from last year’s hard court swing, leaving room to climb regardless of how this week unfolds.
