Filipina tennis star Alex Eala staged an impressive comeback to overcome Chinese wildcard Zheng Qinwen, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, launching her campaign at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington, D.C. early Wednesday, July 29 (Philippine time).
After dropping a tight opening set, the unseeded World No. 28 found her groove in extended rallies during the second set before dominating the decider to seal the victory in her North American hard-court season debut.
Eala initially stayed step-for-step with Zheng’s formidable serve in the match. However, the former World No. 4 managed a crucial break at 3-all, claiming three of the final four games to take the opening frame.
Zheng drew first blood again in the second set, breaking for a 4-3 lead. Demonstrating remarkable resilience, Eala immediately broke back to level the set at 4-4 before sweeping the next two games to force a third set.
Riding that momentum into the final frame, the Filipina surged to a commanding 4-0 lead. Though Zheng held serve in the fifth game, Eala comfortably closed out the remainder of the set to lock in the win.
The comeback sets up a second-round match against familiar rival and seventh seed Leylah Fernandez, the Canadian 2021 US Open finalist of Filipino descent, who advanced by dispatching Magda Linette, 6-1, 6-4.
The upcoming clash marks the second career meeting between Eala and Fernandez, following their last encounter in the Round of 32 at the Stuttgart Open last April, where Fernandez won in straight sets.