Washington DC, United States, July 29, 2026: The Philippines’ rising tennis star, Alex Eala, defeated Paris Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen of China in the Round of 32 at the WTA Mubadala DC Open on Tuesday, July 28.
Eala, Asian Games bronze medallist at Hangzhou 2022 when Zheng won gold, beat the Chinese ace 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 to book her place in the last 16 of the hard-court tournament and continue her impressive form.
Overcoming a tricky first set, World no. 28 Eala drew even with wildcard Zheng in the second set.
That forced a third and decisive set, with the fate of both players in the balance. Zheng, gold medallist at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, had dominated from the service line, racking up 14 aces throughout the match, but Eala was starting to come into her own by then.
Taking three consecutive break points, the 21-year-old left-hander from the Philippines suddenly found herself serving for the match in the U.S. capital. She wasted little time confirming the result, completing a thrilling three-set comeback: 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
"I think I've already had that in me," Eala said of the grit she showed against the Olympic champion. "I think it's definitely a mindset that you have.
"That being said, I think it's been trained or I've practiced. I've had more experience now to implement that mindset at the higher level."
Zheng, whose world ranking has slipped to No. 123 from world No. 4, beat Eala in the Hangzhou Asian Games semi-finals on her way to gold.
Eala’s first-round win put her on a collision course with Canadian U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, who beat Poland's Magda Linette to advance to the Round of 16, with the duo set to play on Wednesday, July 29.
Media back home in the Philippines revelled in the fact that Eala has now beaten the gold, silver and bronze medal-winners from Paris 2024 in recent events.