Alex Eala bolsters French Open buildup, enters Italian tilt

Alex Eala ramps up her preparations for the 2026 French Open as she commits to another Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) event to fine-tune her clay court form.

The 20-year-old Filipina ace is listed in the Parma Ladies Open in Italy set May 11 to 17, just two weeks before the clay court Grand Slam unfolds on May 24 until June 7.

The WTA250 tournament features a competitive field led by two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova, 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin, No. 32 Wang Xinyu, No. 36 Ann Li, No. 83 Camila Osorio and defending champion Mayar Sherif, to name a few.

Also in the draw is Oksana Selekhmeteva, Eala’s partner in their 2021 French Open Girls’ Doubles title run.

After an impressive hard court swing, Eala has hit a rough patch on clay, bowing out early in her first two tournaments of the season at the Linz Open in Austria and the Stuttgart Open in Germany.

Staying consistent, as expected, is a daunting task especially in high level tournaments and Eala is aware of that.

“At this level, it does come with its struggles,” Eala said in one of her post-match interviews in Stuttgart.

“Don’t get me wrong. It’s a demanding job, but of course you’re treated very well, especially in individual sports, a lot of things are catered to you, and they have to be catered to you because that’s how you succeed.

“In my case, there’s a lot of attention… I think sometimes it’s a lot. And if you don’t have that ‘spoonful of gratitude’ or you don’t have that guidance or that you don’t have a clear idea of who you are or what you’re going through, you can get lost in all these things,” she added.

With that in mind, Eala heads to the Mutua Madrid Open scheduled on April 21 with a positive mindset.

The WTA1000 boasts of a stacked field with all Top 10 players lined up spearheaded by world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 2 Elena Rybakina, No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 4 Iga Swiatek and No. 5 Jessica Pegula.

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