Alex Eala appeared to be heading toward an early exit in Washington—until one crucial reminder from her coach helped ignite a spectacular turnaround.
The Filipina tennis sensation recovered from a set and a break down to shock former world No. 4 and Australian Open finalist Zheng Qinwen, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, in the opening round of the Mubadala Citi DC Open.
And according to Eala, the comeback began with a simple message from her longtime coach, Joan Bosch.
“He said that I just have to keep going because if I’m there for every ball, I’ll have my chances,” Eala revealed after the match. “And I did. Like always, he’s right.”
Those words proved prophetic.
Playing her first match since reaching the Wimbledon round of 16, Eala struggled to rediscover her rhythm on the hard courts. Zheng took advantage, winning the opening set before breaking the Filipina to love in the seventh game of the second set.
At that moment, Eala looked in serious danger of falling behind by an almost insurmountable margin.
Instead, she responded like a player who refused to surrender.
The 21-year-old immediately broke back—also without dropping a point—to stop Zheng from taking complete control. After holding serve, Eala broke again to claim the second set and force a deciding third frame.
That eighth game became the turning point of the match.
“It definitely helped,” Eala said of the crucial break. “Maybe if I hadn’t gotten that break, who knows? Maybe it would have been too big of a gap. You never know in tennis, but that definitely helped me.”
Once Eala seized momentum, there was no stopping her.
The world No. 28 stormed to a 4-0 lead in the deciding set, breaking Zheng twice and overwhelming the Chinese star with relentless defense, sharper shot-making and growing confidence.
What initially looked like a frustrating defeat suddenly became another statement victory for the Philippines’ rising tennis superstar.
Eala said her ability to survive difficult moments is not something that appeared overnight. She believes she has always possessed the fighting mentality—but now, after a breakthrough year on the tour, she finally has the weapons to match it.
“I think I’ve already had that in me,” Eala said. “It’s definitely a mindset that you have. That being said, I think it’s been trained or practiced. I’ve had more experience now to implement that mindset at the higher level.”
“You always want to win, and you always want to fight,” she added. “But I think now, with the progress I’ve had this past year, I have a bit more ammunition to back it up.”
That “ammunition” has already carried Eala to a career-high ranking of No. 28 following her rapid rise since her breakout performance at the 2025 Miami Open.
Her victory over Zheng will not immediately move her higher in the rankings, but a deep run in Washington could push her closer to the world’s top 25.
Standing in her way is defending champion Leylah Fernandez, who booked her round-of-16 spot with a convincing 6-1, 6-4 victory over Magda Linette.
Eala knows the challenge will be enormous.
“I think it’s going to be a very tough match for me,” she said. “Leylah is such an amazing player and an amazing person as well.”
But after surviving a set-and-break deficit against one of the biggest names in the draw, Eala has once again shown that counting her out can be a costly mistake.
She listened to her coach, chased every ball and waited for her opportunity.
When that opportunity arrived, Alex Eala turned the entire match upside down.