Eala faces tough opening test in Ningbo

Manila Times - Oct 18, 2026

FILIPINA netter Alex Eala is set to unleash her full strength to snap her recent slump as she returns to action at the Ningbo Open, which kicks off on Monday at the Ningbo Yinzhou Tennis Center. Based on the official draw released by tournament organizers, Eala will first face France’s Diane Parry in the opening round of the WTA 500 event. The match between Eala and Parry is scheduled for 12 noon. This is their first-ever meeting on the WTA Tour. Also looming in Eala’s draw are potential matchups against world No. 13 Diana Shnaider of Russia in the second round, world No. 11 Iva Jovic of the United States in the quarterfinals, and defending champion and world No. 1 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the semifinals. Eala is aiming to bounce back at the Ningbo Open following a string of early exits across three consecutive tournaments. Her rough stretch began at the Singapore Open, where she was s hown an early exit after falling to Russia’s Tatiana Prozorova (6-4, 5-7, 3-6) in the opening round. This was followed by another setback against eventual champion Wang Xiyu of China in the semifinals of the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, with a score of 6-4, 3-6,...

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