FILIPINA ace Alexandra Eala aims to regain her bearings entering the French Open 2026 after a shaky buildup for the clay season’s Grand Slam tournament.
Ranked No. 38 in the world, Eala bowed out in the first round of the Internationaux de Strasbourg in France after suffering a 6-3, 5-7, 3-6 stunner against No. 66 Ukrainian qualifier Oleksandra Oliynykova (No. 66) on Monday night (Manila time).
The lefty Pinay squandered an opening set lead and a 3-2 advantage in the decider as she committed costly unforced errors in the endgame that allowed the lower-ranked Ukrainian to complete a comeback in their grueling Round of 32 match.
Eala made 48 errors overall against Oliynykova’s 40, and that spelled the difference in the tightly-contested showdown between the Strasbourg debutants that lasted for two hours and 52 minutes.
It was another stinging exit for the 20-year-old netter as the WTA 500 Strasbourg tourney served as her final tuneup for her second main draw appearance in the prestigious Roland Garros slated May 24 to June 7 in Paris.
In five clay events leading up to the French Open, Eala only reached as far as the third round, which she managed to do in the WTA 1000 Italian Open where she gave world No. 2 Elena Rybakina a hard time in taking a 6-4, 6-3 win in Round of 32.
Before the Rome tilt, Eala crashed out in the second round of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz (Round of 16), first round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Round of 32) in Stuttgart, Germany, and second round of the Mutua Madrid Open (Round of 64) in Spain.
The Rafa Nadal Academy graduate, who holds a 4-5 win-loss record in the clay swing, needs to fine-tune her game as she faces a tall order in the French Open featuring top 10 players including Aryna Sabalenka (No. 1), Rybakina, and defending champion Coco Gauff (No. 3).
Eala will try to make a deep run this time around after yielding to Colombia’s Emiliana Arango, 0-6, 6-2, 3-6, in her Roland Garros debut last year.
Eala will also see action in the doubles competition as she teams up with fellow rising star Victoria Mboko (No. 9).
