Alex Eala’s fightback fell short as she bowed out of the 2026 Ningbo Open, losing to sixth-seeded Diana Shnaider, 5-7, 4-6, in the Round of 16 on Thursday at the Ningbo Yinzhou Tennis Center in China.
The Filipina ace fought through a grueling opening set and repeatedly clawed her way back in the second. However, Shnaider held her nerve in the crucial moments to seal the victory and advance to the quarterfinals.
Eala, who advanced to the last 16 after sweeping past Diane Parry, 6-3, 6-1, on Monday, showed early promise by holding serve in the opening game and trading service holds with the Russian left-hander.
Neither player managed a break in the first six games, with Eala relying on her serve and aggressive groundstrokes to keep pace with the sixth seed.
The two continued to exchange games until Shnaider struck first, breaking Eala to move ahead, 5-4, and put herself in position to serve for the opening set.
Eala responded with a crucial break of her own, leveling the frame at 5-all and extending the contest. However, Shnaider regained control in the 11th game, breaking the Filipina once more before closing out the set, 7-5, after 51 minutes.
Eala saved two set points but could not prevent her opponent from taking the early advantage.
The second set turned into an even more chaotic affair, with both players struggling to hold serve.
Shnaider opened with a break, but Eala immediately answered to tie the set at 1-1. The Russian broke again for a 2-1 lead, only for the Filipina to respond with another break and restore parity.
The pair continued trading breaks, with Eala drawing level at 3-3 before finally holding serve to move ahead, 4-3.
Shnaider survived Eala’s bid for another break in the eighth game, saving a break point to level the set at 4-4.
The sixth seed then capitalized on Eala’s service struggles in the ninth game, breaking the Filipina to take a 5-4 lead and earn the chance to serve for the match.
Eala refused to go quietly, saving a match point and fighting through deuce to extend the 10th game. However, Shnaider eventually converted her opportunity to close out the 6-4 second-set victory.
