Questions surrounding Alex Eala’s physical condition will finally be answered on Tuesday, as she begins her hard-court campaign leading into the US Open.
After a two-week break that included a brief trip home to the Philippines, the world No. 28 will face former world No. 4 Zheng Qinwen of China in the opening round of the WTA 500 Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington.
The two previously met in the semifinals of the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.
Then just 18 years old, Eala settled for the bronze medal after falling to the top-seeded Zheng, 6-1, 6-7, 6-3.
Zheng went on to capture the gold medal, with Eala remaining the only player in the tournament to take a set off the Chinese star.
The 23-year-old Zheng has battled an elbow injury over the past year, undergoing surgery that forced her to miss significant time and saw her ranking plummet to as low as No. 160 last June.
She has since climbed back to No. 123 in this week’s rankings.
Despite those setbacks, Zheng’s pedigree is unquestionable.
She won the women’s singles gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and reached the Australian Open final that same year, where she lost to defending champion Aryna Sabalenka. She also advanced to the quarterfinals of the US Open, underscoring her effectiveness on fast hard courts.
At her best, Zheng is known for her booming serve and ability to dictate rallies from the baseline with powerful groundstrokes.
Her heavy topspin forehand often pushes opponents out of their preferred hitting zones, allowing her to control points.
For Eala to succeed, she will need to take the ball early, flatten out her groundstrokes, and hit deep to disrupt Zheng’s rhythm.
Doing so could force the Chinese player into hitting from lower positions, producing shorter, higher-bouncing replies that fall into Eala’s preferred strike zone.
The biggest question, however, is whether Eala is physically ready for the challenge.
The Filipina withdrew from the doubles event, where she was set to reunite with American legend Venus Williams, fueling speculation about her fitness and conditioning ahead of her singles campaign.
The winner of the Eala-Zheng showdown will advance to the second round to face either Canada’s Leylah Fernandez or Poland’s Magda Linette.
