Vlad Bunoan

Article (news)

Alex Eala

Dyan Castillejo

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1778237425821viber_image_2026-05-08_18-45-20-010.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Alex Eala</div>Alex Eala continued her dream run at the Italian Open after pulling off another stunning comeback victory, this time against No. 31 seed Wang Xinyu on the clay courts of Stadio Pietrangeli, 6-4, 6-3.The victory served as sweet revenge for Eala, who previously lost to Wang earlier this season at the ASB Classic in Auckland.Wang came out firing early, using deep shots and aggressive approaches to disrupt Eala’s rhythm. The Chinese standout secured her second break of the match after repeatedly attacking short balls and stepping in on high returns, racing to a 3-0 advantage in the opening set.But Eala slowly shifted the momentum.The Filipina began adding more pace to her groundstrokes and forcing Wang into errors from the baseline. A double fault from Wang helped Eala secure her first break to cut the deficit to 1-3.The Filipina tennis star then produced one of her cleanest service games of the match, landing all of her first serves and holding at love to move within one game at 2-3.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/5/7/alex-eala-finding-her-footing-on-clay-as-she-aims-to-advance-in-italian-open-1820">READ: Alex Eala finding her footing on clay as she aims to advance in Italian Open </a></div>Pressure continued mounting on Wang’s serve. Another double fault at 15-30 handed Eala two break points, and the Filipina capitalized once more to level the opening set at 3-3 after winning three straight games.From there, Eala fully took control.Displaying stronger baseline hitting and growing confidence on clay, Eala claimed a fourth consecutive game for a 4-3 lead. She capped the game with a brilliant combination — a delicate drop shot followed by a sharp passing winner that drew loud cheers from the Pietrangeli crowd.After Wang managed to level at 4-4, Eala responded with one of the points of the match. The 20-year-old constructed the rally perfectly with a deep looping ball before charging forward and finishing with a drop volley winner to move ahead 15-30, just two points away from the set.Moments later, Eala completed the turnaround and captured the opening set, 6-4.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/5/8/tennis-analyst-craig-shapiro-expects-another-tight-match-for-alex-eala-in-italian-open-1706">READ: Tennis analyst Craig Shapiro expects another ‘tight match’ for Alex Eala in Italian Open </a></div>The second set proved just as intense, with both players trading heavy baseline rallies and momentum swings. At 30-30 in one crucial game, Eala refused to hold back, unloading powerful groundstrokes that pushed Wang into an error as the Filipina secured a massive break to tie the set at 3-3.Eala followed it up with another composed service game, landing her first serves consistently to hold for a 4-3 lead, now just two games away from upsetting the tournament’s No. 31 seed.With momentum fully on her side, Eala aggressively attacked Wang’s serve in the next game and earned another crucial break to move ahead 5-3, giving herself the chance to serve for the match.The Filipina sensation stayed calm under pressure and confidently closed out the contest, sealing a 6-3 second-set victory to complete the upset and advance to the third round in Rome.The win marks another major statement for Eala, who has now defeated back-to-back higher-ranked opponents in the Italian Open while continuing to build momentum on one of tennis’ biggest clay court stages.

Alex Eala continued her dream run at the Italian Open after pulling off another stunning comeback victory, this time against No. 31 seed Wang Xinyu on the clay courts of Stadio Pietrangeli.

Alex Eala continued her dream run at the Italian Open after pulling off another stunning comeback victory, this time against No. 31 seed Wang Xinyu on the clay courts of Stadio Pietrangeli.

Alex Eala storms back to beat Wang Xinyu, reaches Italian Open third round

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Alex Eala storms back to beat Wang Xinyu, reaches Italian Open third round

Dyan Castillejo,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 08, 2026 07:03 PM PHT

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tennis

Alex Eala

Italian Open

Wang Xinyu

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