Eala exacts sweet revenge, cruises past Wang in straight sets

Four months after a heartbreaking collapse against Wang Xinyu in New Zealand, Alex Eala delivered a composed and dominant performance to secure sweet revenge on Friday, defeating the 31st-seeded Chinese player 6-4, 6-3 in the second round of the 2026 Italian Open.

The world No. 42 from the Philippines outplayed Wang at the historic Stadio Nicola Pietrangeli, avenging their tense semifinal encounter at the ASB Classic where she had come within a point of victory before eventually falling in three sets.

This time, Eala left no room for a comeback.

The first set started poorly for the Filipina as she fell behind 0-3, but she quickly stabilized, reeling off four straight games to seize control. After Wang briefly leveled the score at 4-4, Eala responded with authority, winning the next two games to claim the set 6-4.

The second set was more competitive early on, with Wang breaking for a 3-2 lead. However, Eala immediately broke back and surged ahead, eventually closing out the match 6-3 in just one hour and 27 minutes.

The win holds extra significance as Wang had been in strong form, reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open with victories over players who had previously beaten Eala.

Eala, now 20 years old, advances to the third round where she is set to face world No. 2 and reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina in what promises to be a major test on clay.