Alex Eala eyes rebound at Madrid Open

Filipina tennis standout Alex Eala will shift her focus to the clay courts of Spain after an early exit at the Stuttgart Open, with her next stop the Madrid Open, which begins April 21.

The WTA 1000 event features a 96-player main draw and remains one of the biggest stops of the clay-court season ahead of Roland Garros.

The field includes top stars such as Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Jelena Ostapenko, according to the source material.

Last year, Eala reached the second round of the Madrid Open after beating Viktoriya Tomova in the first round.

She then lost to Swiatek in two close sets in the next round.

Another account in the source material described that defeat as a round-of-64 rematch with Swiatek and listed the score at 6-4, 4-6, 2-6.

Since 2009, the women’s competition in Madrid has been played on outdoor clay courts, making it a key stop in the buildup to Roland Garros.

Eala has also entered the Catalonia Open, which begins April 27 in Spain.

If her Madrid campaign ends before the second week, she is expected to compete in the WTA 125 event, which features a 32-player singles draw.

That draw includes world No. 47 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, No. 25 Leylah Fernandez, No. 78 Eva Lys and No. 51 Laura Siegemund.

Also competing is defending champion Dalma Galfi, who is currently ranked No. 93 by the WTA, according to the source material.

Founded in 2023, the Catalonia Open has quickly established itself on the clay circuit.

Sorana Cirstea won the inaugural title.

After her early exit in Stuttgart, Eala will try to bounce back in Madrid next week.

The 20-year-old bowed out in the first round of the Stuttgart Open in Germany, falling to world No. 25 Fernandez, 1-6, 4-6, on Wednesday.

Eala, now ranked No. 45 after reaching a career-high No. 29, is aiming to move past a stretch of early exits.

The source material said that run included three consecutive Round of 16 finishes in the Linz Open, Miami Open and Indian Wells Open.

Another section of the source material said Eala also suffered a second straight early exit after the Linz Open, where she lost to world No. 22 Ostapenko in the second round, 4-6, 5-7, on April 8.

The release further said the Stuttgart and Linz tournaments were Eala’s first two 500-level events after the Miami Open.

There, she lost 270 ranking points after failing to match her 390-point semifinal finish from last year, the source material said.

The release said Eala dropped from a career-best No. 29 to No. 45 after her Round of 16 exit.

Unable to regain those points in her first two stops of the clay season, Eala now looks to recover ground in Madrid.

Unlike at Indian Wells and Miami, Eala is not in the top 32 entering this Madrid competition, which means she will not receive a first-round bye.

Her campaign will therefore begin in the round of 128.

The source material also said nine of the top 10 players are set to compete in Madrid.

Those players are world No. 1 and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, No. 2 Elena Rybakina, No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 4 Swiatek, No. 5 Jessica Pegula, No. 6 Amanda Anisimova, No. 7 Elina Svitolina, No. 8 Jasmine Paolini and No. 9 Mirra Andreeva.

For Eala, Madrid offers both a test and an opportunity.

A solid run on clay would help steady her ranking and rebuild momentum as the European swing moves closer to the French Open.