Alexandra Eala battled through a tough opening-round test on Wednesday, rallying past Magdalena Fręch to advance to the Round of 64 at the 2026 Italian Open.
Eala secured the 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 win in two hours and seven minutes, giving the 20-year-old Filipina her first career Rome Open victory.
"I'm really proud of myself because there were so many moments, especially in the third set, where she could've gone really far," Eala said of her Round of 128 opponent.
Despite the competition, the world No. 42 looked firmly in control early in the match.
Eala dictated rallies from the baseline, winning 67% of her first-serve points while remaining flawless behind her second serve. She subsequently shut out Fręch 6-0 in the opening set.
However, momentum shifted in the second.
The Polish player settled into longer rallies, forcing a deciding set after taking advantage of a dip in Eala’s form.
Fręch managed to grab a 3-1 lead in the third before Eala responded.
The 20-year-old broke back to level the set at 3-3, held for a 4-3 advantage, then fought off a break point in a crucial ninth game to move ahead 5-4. From there, Eala broke Fręch one final time to close out the victory.
"I think I've come a long way from last year," Eala said. "My team and I have really been working the past few weeks, and I think that we've been able to put out just some things that we've been working on in competition."
Where to Watch Alexandra Eala at the 2026 Italian Open
Eala next faces Wang Xinyu in the Round of 64, after the No. 31 seed received a first-round bye. Xinyu previously defeated Eala in the Auckland semifinals earlier this year.
The Italian Open continues through May 17th, live on the Tennis Channel.
US tennis icon Venus Williams has turned back the clock, scoring her first singles win in almost two years at the 2025 DC Open hardcourt tournament this week.
With her straight-set Tuesday victory over fellow US pro and world No. 35 Peyton Stearns, the 45-year-old Williams became the oldest player to win a WTA singles match since then-47-year-old Martina Navratilova did so at Wimbledon in 2004.
"I'm here with my friends, family, people I love, and the fans, too, who I love and they love me, so this has been just a beautiful night," the seven-time Grand Slam winner said after the match.
Williams's DC Open run also saw her snag an opening two-set doubles victory alongside fellow US partner Hailey Baptiste on Monday, though the pair fell in a three-set battle to the No. 2-seed duo of US star Taylor Townsend and China's Zhang Shuai on Wednesday.
Next on the tennis legend's DC Open docket is a Round of 16 clash with No. 5 seed and world No. 24 Polish contender Magdalena Fręch, as Williams takes her comeback push one match at a time.
"It doesn't matter how many times you fall down. Doesn't matter how many times you get sick or get hurt or whatever it is," she said. "If you continue to believe and put in the work, there is an opportunity, there is space for you."
How to watch Venus Williams at the 2025 DC Open
Williams will hit the court against Fręch at 7:30 PM ET on Thursday, airing live on the Tennis Channel.