Eala takes down Polish netter to advance in Italian Open

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Alex Eala is off to a rousing start in the ongoing Italian Open after defeating Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the first round, 6-0, 3-6, 6-4, on May 6, 2026, at the Foro Italico in Rome.

With the exhausting victory, the Filipina ace notched her first career win in Rome as a main-draw selection, while setting up a highly anticipated rematch with China’s Wang Xinyu in the round of 64.

The 20-year-old superstar overcame two hours and seven minutes of high-octane tennis as Frech gave her the business, turning things around with a massive fightback in the final two sets.

Eala cruised past the Polish challenger with ease in the first set, scoring a bagel in a jiffy, bolstered by an efficient attack rate on the baseline.

Aside from her consistent rally points, Eala also capitalized on Frech’s series of unforced errors, mostly on her sloppy forehand first-ball returns.

Eala looked sharper than ever and was bound for a dominant finish, but Frech flipped the switch and made necessary adjustments to stay in the game.

Frech took her tempo to the next level and made up for her poor groundstroke swings in the first set to match Eala’s shot-making with an improved forehand rhythm.

As a result, Frech zoomed to a 3-0 lead. Although Eala broke back to pull within a point, 2-3, the Polish tactician stepped on the gas pedal with a 3-1 run to force a deciding third set.

Things got interesting in the third and final set as Frech sustained her hot resurgence to take a 3-1 advantage.

Just when Frech thought that her stable and safe groundstrokes could help her reach the finish line, Eala had other plans as she took the risk of stepping inside the baseline during her second-service returns.

Eala took advantage of Frech’s flat-ball second serve, pummeling three consecutive points for a break point to pull within 3-2.

As they say: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

With the strategy paying dividends, Eala stuck to that cycle and leaned on her return aces to frustrate Frech with a game-sealing 5-1 closing run.

From the fifth to the 10th game of the third set, Frech failed to regain her footing and had no answers to Eala’s heavy topspin winners.

“It means a lot. This is my first win in Rome,” Eala said after the win.

“I am really proud of myself. There were moments, especially in the third set, where she could’ve gone really far. But I’m happy with how I held and how I fought.”