MANILA, Philippines — Filipino tennis player Alex Eala will compete at the Italian Open next week after withdrawing from a tournament in Catalonia, as she looks to recover form on clay following early-round exits in recent events.
Eala lost to Belgium’s Elise Mertens, 6-0, 6-1, in the second round of the Madrid Open on Saturday. She is scheduled to join the main draw in Rome, where she will face a field that includes top-ranked players such as Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff and defending champion Jasmine Paolini.
Eala previously competed at the Italian Open in 2025, where she lost to Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the first round. She also played doubles at the same tournament, partnering with Gauff, and reached the quarterfinals before losing to Paolini and Italy’s Sara Errani.
Paolini won the 2025 Italian Open doubles title with Errani after defeating Mertens and Veronika Kudermetova in the final. She also won the singles title last year after defeating Gauff.
Eala, who is 20 years old, aims to advance further in this year’s tournament as she continues her clay-court season.