Alexandra Eala expected to cruise through the first round of the 2026 Wuhan Open. But Chinese qualifier Shi Han had other plans, clawing back from a set down to topple the 13th seed 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Monday.
Eala Starts Strong Before Han Launches Comeback
In the first set though, nothing looked off. Eala dictated play from the baseline and pocketed the opener 6-4. She still held a 3-2 lead in the second before Shi found another gear, rattling off four straight games to force a decider.
That momentum carried over as Shi raced to a 3-0 advantage in the third set and closed it out with consecutive aces in a commanding love hold.
Unforced errors proved costly for Eala down the stretch as the 21-year-old Filipino finished with 37 across three sets. Meanwhile, Shi's punishing forehand kept the world No. 18 pinned behind the baseline for much of the match.
Han Advances While Eala's Focus Turns to Doubles
The result gave Shi her biggest upset to date, following a qualifying run that included victories over No. 37 Peyton Stearns and No. 69 Kamilla Rakhimova.
Despite the first-round loss, Eala still has something to play for in Wuhan. She and Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez face a doubles round of 32 matchup next. Shi, meanwhile, advances to meet Canada's Leylah Fernandez.
