Joselito Malig

Article (news)

Dyan Castillejo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177621488738020260414160448_292aa0c3f4294a417008e4d06c310e6718f8ce3bef2973ba68dfca6b2a20f7b2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Filipino tennis star Alex Eala at the WTA 125 Philippine Women&#x27;s Open, January 29, 2026 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File<br/></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA <strong>(2nd UPDATE)</strong> — Filipina tennis star Alex Eala bowed out of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix after a straight-sets loss to world No. 25 Leylah Fernandez in their opening-round clash late Monday night (Philippine time) in Stuttgart, Germany.</p><p>It marked Fernandez’s first match on red clay this season, and the Filipina-Canadian wasted no time asserting control.</p><p>Both players came in with attacking mindsets, but it was Fernandez who dictated early.</p><p>She consistently pressured Eala’s second serve, wrong-footing the Filipina while mixing in variety—including a well-executed drop shot winner—to surge to a commanding 4-0 lead in the opening set.</p><p>Fernandez’s sharp angles and ability to change direction kept Eala on the defensive, as she extended her advantage to 5-0.</p><p>Despite strong crowd support rallying behind Eala, the Filipina managed to get on the scoreboard late, but Fernandez comfortably sealed the first set, 6-1.</p><p>Eala showed signs of a fightback in the second set. </p><p>She opened with renewed aggression, firing an ace and two clean winners to take her first lead of the match at 1-0.</p><p>The 20-year-old continued to hold her ground, producing another solid service game—including an ace—to stay within striking distance at 3-2.</p><p>But Fernandez kept the ball striking and angles going to get the double break and lead 5-2.</p><p>Eala broke to close to 5-3. She saved 2 match points at 15-40,  and pulled closer at 4-5.</p><p>Fernandez closed out at match point #3 to win 6-1, 6-4.</p><p>Fernandez, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 13 in August 2022, improved her win-loss record this season to 4-9.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;LIKE PLAYING A MIRROR&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Fernandez described her opening-round duel with Eala as “like playing a mirror” after securing a 6-1, 6-4 victory at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.</p><p>“Oh, man, 100 percent,” Fernandez said, likening the match to playing with a mirror. </p><p>“I remember watching her play a couple years back at the Rafa Nadal Academy and she was playing super fast. I remember telling my coach at the time, like, ‘Wow, she plays quick!”</p><p>Fernandez added that her team anticipated a tough battle against the Filipina star, who has been steadily rising on the WTA Tour.</p><p>“My coach said, ‘You know, she’s not gonna go down easy, as you can see. She’s gonna fight. You’re gonna have to take the match,’” she shared. “So I was glad that I trusted him, and I just trusted the training that we’ve done. Happy to get the win here.”</p><p>Despite the convincing win, Fernandez admitted there is still room for improvement.</p><p>When asked to rate her performance, she replied: “I’d say a 7 out of 10.”</p><p>“It was 8, 9 out of 10 until the 6-1, 5-2, but, you know, there’s always that little lapse of concentration. I’m just glad that I stayed positive as much as possible. And of course, the crowd helped me.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dTN9Yd0S5bQ?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SWGLy6KbMLY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Filipina tennis star Alex Eala's debut at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart was a heartbreaker after she lost to Filipino-Canadian Leylah Fernandez in the first round.</p>

Filipina tennis star Alex Eala's debut at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart was a heartbreaker after she lost to Filipino-Canadian Leylah Fernandez in the first round.

Alex Eala exits Stuttgart Open in loss to Leylah Fernandez

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Alex Eala exits Stuttgart Open in loss to Leylah Fernandez

Dyan Castillejo,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 15, 2026 12:40 AM PHT

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Updated April 15, 2026 09:07 AM PHT

Read More:

Alex Eala

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Leylah Fernandez

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