FILIPINO tennis ace Alexandra “Alex” Eala seeks a potential rematch against defending champ Leylah Fernandez at the WTA 500 Mubadala D.C. Open in Washington.
Fernandez, who represents Canada and is of Filipino descent, was set to face Polish Magda Linette in the first round (round of 32) late Monday night in Manila.
On the other hand, Eala faces Chinese Zheng Qinwen in a rematch of the 2023 Asian Games semifinals in China, looking to get back at the former world No. 4 likely on Tuesday night.
“I’m excited. I think it’s going to be a really tough match for me,” said Eala in an interview with ABS-CBN’s Dyan Castillejo.
“I definitely need to bring the intensity and the level of competition that’s fit for this level of tournament. So, I’m really excited.”
World No. 28 Eala first battled No. 34 Fernandez at the Stuttgart Open in Germany, where the homegrown Filipino fell, 1-6, 4-6, in the first round last April.
If Eala wins and Fernandez loses their respective first round matches, it will be another familiar foe for the Filipino on the other side of the net.
Eala took on Linette four times already, with their head-to-head record standing at 2-2.
The 34-year-old Linette won their first two meetings, taking down Eala at the 2024 Abu Dhabi round of 32, 6-0, 6-2, and at the 2025 Nottingham Open round of 32, 6-4, 6-3.
The 21-year-old Eala won the last two, turning back Linette at the ASB Classic quarterfinal, 6-3, 6-2, last January and at the Miami Open round of 32, 6–3, 7–6 (2).
Meanwhile, Eala secured a seed and a first-round bye (direct passage to the second round) at the WTA 1000 National Bank Open in Toronto from Aug. 2 to 13.
Staying in the top 32 of the WTA rankings at No. 28 at the seeding cutoff on Monday, Eala will skip a first-round match and start her campaign in the second round (round of 64).
This Toronto competition will be Eala’s first 1000-tier tournament and second overall in the North American swing after Washington.
