It was just four months ago in the semifinals of the ASB Classic in New Zealand that Alex Eala suffered a stinging loss to Wang Xinyu.
Up a set and holding a match point in the second set while serving for the match, Eala failed to close it out, allowing Wang to not only steal the second set but also win in three sets.
There would be no repeat on Friday.
World No. 42 Eala flipped the script, taking out the 31st-seeded Chinese player in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, in the second round of the 2026 Italian Open, also known as the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, in Rome.
The 24-year-old, 5-foot-11 Wang reached the fourth round of the Australian Open last January, scoring wins over two players who have recently beaten Eala — Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia and Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic.
This time, however, the Chinese player could not add another victory over the Filipina.
Playing for the second straight round at the 3,500-capacity Stadio Nicola Pietrangeli in Foro Italico, Eala may have felt a sense of déjà vu after falling behind 0-3 in the opening set.
It mirrored their encounter last January, when she also trailed early before rallying from a 0-4 deficit to take the first set, 7-5.
Following that same blueprint, Eala stayed patient and gradually worked her way back into rhythm.
Once she settled in, she rattled off four straight games to seize the lead for the first time.
Even as Wang held serve to level the score in the eighth game, Eala responded by winning the next two games to take the opener, 6-4.
The second set saw both players hold serve through the first four games. Wang then struck first, breaking in the fifth game to go up 3-2, but Eala immediately broke back and surged ahead by winning the next two games for a 5-3 lead.
Wang threatened in the ninth game, earning a 15-40 advantage on Eala’s serve, but the Filipina once again showed resilience, holding firm to close out the match after an hour and 27 minutes.
The 20-year-old Eala could next face world No. 2, 2026 Australian Open champion, and recent WTA Stuttgart Open winner Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
