Alex Eala Opens Her Wuhan Open Campaign Against Qualifier Han Shi
Alex Eala begins her Wuhan Open on Monday, October 12, against Chinese qualifier Han Shi. The first-round match is set for around 9 p.m. at Dongfeng Voyah Center Court. It follows the all-Chinese contest between Wang Xiyu and Wang Xinyu at 7:30 p.m.
Eala is the world No. 18 and the 13th seed. Wuhan is her first tour event since she won bronze at the Asian Games in Japan. It is also the last WTA 1000 tournament of the season.
Seeded, but no bye
The Wuhan field has 56 players, and only the top eight seeds skip the first round. Eala starts in round one even with a seed beside her name. Last year she was ranked No. 58, which was too low for direct entry, so she played qualifying.
Meet the player across the net
Han Shi is 21, the same age as Eala, and ranked No. 231. She entered qualifying on a wildcard and won two rounds to reach the main draw. She beat Peyton Stearns 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 on Saturday, then Kamilla Rakhimova 7-6, 6-1 on Sunday. It is her first Wuhan main draw.
Han also came through qualifying at the China Open in Beijing, where she lost to Qinwen Zheng in the first round. She has two main draw WTA wins in her career. She and Eala have never played each other.
Still chasing a Wuhan win
Eala has yet to win a main draw match in Wuhan. She lost in the first round in 2024, then lost in the first round of qualifying in 2025. This season she picked up her first main draw wins at Dubai, Indian Wells and Cincinnati.
Carrying Nagoya forward
At the Asian Games, Eala lost the semifinal to Wang Xiyu, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, and took her second straight bronze. She skipped the China Open to play there. She says she has no regrets about it, because the Games come around once every four years and she wanted to represent the Philippines.
Afterward she said, “I’m going to Wuhan and continue the Tour.” She arrived in China on Friday.
What comes next
A win on Monday sets up a second-round match against the winner of Leylah Fernandez and Ekaterina Alexandrova. The Wuhan Open runs October 12 to 18. The Ningbo Open follows from October 19 to 25.
