Filipina tennis star Alex Eala will open her Mubadala DC Open campaign against Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen of China after the tournament’s main draw was finalized on Saturday.
The first-round meeting is expected to be one of the marquee matchups of the WTA 500 tournament as Eala begins her North American hard-court swing leading into the US Open.
Zheng, currently ranked No. 123 in the world, has been working to regain her form after missing several tournaments following an elbow injury sustained after Wimbledon 2025 that required surgery. Since returning to competition in February, the 23-year-old Chinese player has suffered first-round exits at both the 2026 French Open and Wimbledon.
Zheng reached a career-high ranking of world No. 4 after capturing the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and finishing runner-up at the 2024 Australian Open.
Ahead of the tournament, Eala drew strong support from the Filipino community during a practice session at the tournament venue.
Fans from Washington, D.C., and nearby states followed Eala from the players’ lounge to the practice courts, where she trained for about an hour with American Ashlyn Krueger, the world No. 66.
Under the guidance of Rafa Nadal Academy coach Joan Bosch, Eala went through forehand and backhand drills, volleys, returns and point-construction exercises.
After the session, Eala greeted supporters by signing autographs and posing for photos before leaving the practice court.