Filipina tennis star Alex Eala scored one of the biggest wins of her career by defeating world No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, 7-5, 6-4, in the Round of 16 of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) 500 Berlin Tennis Open on Thursday evening, June 18, 2026 (Philippine time) in Germany.
Early in the match, Rybakina, a former Wimbledon champion, seemed poised to dominate after taking a 4-1 lead in the first set. However, with strong determination, Eala aggressively fought back to tie the set at 4-4. Rybakina regained the lead at 5-4, but Eala then won three consecutive games to claim the set.
Eala carried her momentum into the second set, building a 5-3 lead thanks to her strong serves. Rybakina managed to close the gap to 4-5, but Eala secured the victory shortly after.
Eala herself seemed in disbelief at defeating such a high-caliber opponent. "I am a little foggy right now. I'm still shaking — and I was shaking at match point, too. But I'm really happy with the day," Eala said in a post-game interview. "She's an amazing player. She's the one to beat. So I'm happy to have been able to share the court with her again."
This was only the second meeting between Eala and Rybakina. Rybakina won their first encounter, 6-4, 6-3, in the Round of 32 at the Italian Open earlier this year.
In her next match, Eala will face Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the Berlin quarterfinals.
