FILIPINA tennis ace Alexandra “Alex” Eala braces for another American opponent, Caty McNally, in the round of 32 of the WTA 1000 National Bank Open on Saturday morning (Manila time) at Sobeys Stadium Centre Court in Toronto, Canada.
Eala, the newly crowned Washington Open queen, needs to be wary of world No. 70 McNally as she came off an upset win over No.7 Linda Noskova of Czechia, 7-6(5), 6-1, on Thursday.
Eala, ranked No. 20 in the world, received a first-round bye but was challenged by American Alycia Parks in round of 64 as she was forced to dig deep to prevail in a three-set duel, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, on Thursday.
“I think I had to take it point by point, of course. I think Alycia played really well in the second, and there are definitely things I could have done a little better,” the 21-year-old Eala said during the post-game presser.
“So I tried to improve on that in the third. I tried to come out hot, and just take all the opportunities that I could, because you know, she doesn't really give you much. But yeah, that's what I was thinking,” she added.
Eala also acknowledged she grappled for form against Parks because she only had two days to collect herself for her campaign opener in Toronto after topping the Washington Open.
“Definitely, not easy, I think. You know, transitioning from one tournament to another so soon, and after, you know, a lot of emotions that I've experienced the past, I guess, what, 48 hours. So I'm really proud of myself, and hopefully I can keep the ball rolling,” she said.
But more than the ability to recover on time, Eala wants to make sure to put up a gallant stand for her Filipino fans who helped sell out the venue in Toronto last Thursday.
“Of course, out there, I felt very at home. With all the people supporting me, and, you know, I hope that they enjoyed the tennis. I hope that they enjoyed the grounds, and, you know, they can see, you know, all of these great matches and experience it, and, you know, want to come back,” she said.
The 24-year-old McNally, meanwhile, will not be an easy prey for Eala.
The American is a doubles specialist with nine WTA doubles titles, sharing three of them with compatriot Coco Gauff.
McNally peaked at No. 50 in the singles rankings and No. 11 in doubles.
Entering the match, McNally carries a 14-8 win-loss record for 2026 while Eala has a 35-18 season record.
The right-handed McNally was known for her net play and volleying, while the left-handed Eala gained recognition for her aggressive and dangerous returns.
Doubles blues
Eala paired with Venus Williams in the doubles event on Friday but their campaign ended quickly with a 6-4, 6-3 setback against Russian Liudmila Samsonova and Japanese Miyu Kato in the first round.
The young Eala and the 46-year-old Williams failed to contain the fiery blows of the 27-year-old Samsonova and the 31-year-old Kato.
Eala and Williams paired for the first time in the 2026 Bad Homburg Open last June. They made a stellar debut as a doubles partner after defeating the American-Australian tandem of Catherine Harrison and Alexandra Osborne, 6-3, 6-4, in the round of 16 at the Bad Homburg Open.
The Russian and Japanese duo, on the other hand, reached a quarterfinal berth in the 2026 Linz Open. They also played together in the Queen’s Club Championship in June 2026, but fell to Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani in the round of 16.
They will face the winner of McCartney Kessler and Jessica Pegula’s clash over Sara Errani and Nicole Melichar-Martinez set on Saturday.
Favorites advance
In singles, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the fourth round after scoring a 6-3, 6-4 victory over China's Zhang Shuai.
The reigning US Open champion from Belarus will next play Russian 16th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who eliminated Australian Talia Gibson, 5-7, 6-1, 6-3.
American third seed Jessica Pegula also advanced to the round of 16 by defeating Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova, 6-4, 6-0. She will play for a quarterfinals berth against Russian 15th seed Diana Shnaider, who eliminated compatriot Anna Kalinskaya, 6-3, 6-3.
Polish seventh seed Iga Swiatek likewise advanced with a 6-2, 6-1 romp over Swiss Viktorija Golubic. Her next opponent is 10th seed Marta Kostyuk, who dispatched 19th seed Madison Keys, 6-3, 6-1.
