She is heading to the next round of the competition.
On Wednesday (May 6), Filipina tennis star Alex Eala returned to the clay court as she opened her campaign at the 2026 Italian Open in Rome.
Eala, currently number 42 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles index, faced off against Polish netter Magdalena Fręch, who is currently world number 45.
It was an intense start for the 20-year-old in the WTA 1000 tournament, as she fought hard to survive in the contest.
Eala had a started with a strong momentum, getting a clean sweep in the first set. However, Fręch caught up with her and challenged her dominance in the second set, eventually pushing it to a decider.
By the end of the match, Alex was able to win with 6-0, 3-6, 6-4, and earned her berth in the round of 64 of the said tournament.
Up next for Eala is Chinese player Xin Wang, who is the 31st seed in the competition.
Earlier this week, she jumped two places from her previous number 44 finish before the Madrid Open, placing 42nd in the new leaderboard.