Alexandra Eala rallied from a third-set deficit to defeat Magdalena Fręch and advance to the second round of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia on Wednesday in Rome. The 20-year-old Filipina left-hander dominated the opening set 6-0 before Fręch regrouped to take the second set 6-3 and build a 3-1 lead in the decider. Eala refused to fold, breaking back and steadying her game to complete a gritty 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 victory in two hours and 21 minutes.
The win marked Eala's 15th main-draw victory on the WTA Tour this season, the most among left-handed players, and extended her streak to five straight opening-match wins in WTA 1000 tournaments. Ranked No. 42 in the world, Eala will next face 31st seed Wang Xinyu. Wang won their only previous meeting, a three-set semifinal battle in Auckland earlier this year.
Eala Reflects on Nadal Connection
Speaking to Tennis Channel after the match, Eala shared her awe at interacting with Rafael Nadal regularly and occasionally receiving coaching from Toni Nadal. "Meeting Rafael Nadal and being able to speak with him regularly is crazy to me," she said. "Sometimes I'm even coached by Toni Nadal. If you had told me that when I was younger, I wouldn't have believed it." Eala trained and studied at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca and recently returned there before opening her clay-court campaign.
Inspiration from Laureus Awards
Eala also discussed attending the Laureus World Sports Awards, where she met several global sports icons. "I was surrounded by so many amazing athletes," she said. "I even got selfies with Novak Djokovic and Eileen Gu. I was shaking when I asked." She added that seeing legendary gymnast Nadia Comăneci and Olympic champion Simone Biles left a lasting impression. "It was incredibly inspiring," Eala said.
A victory over Wang would give Eala back-to-back clay-court wins for the first time this season, continuing another breakthrough chapter in the young Filipina's steady climb on the world stage.
