Ningbo up next for Eala

After strings of early exits in the Asian Swing, Alex Eala sets sights on reclaiming lost glory as she finds it in the Ningbo Open, still in China.

Slated from 19-25 October, Eala will join the WTA 500 tournament with world no. 1 and reigning titlist Elena Rybakina, no. 4 Jessica Pegula, no. 6 Elina Svitolina and no. 9 Iga Swiatek also joined the draw.

The 21-year-old netter bowed out early in the Wuhan Open after a disappointing 6-4, 3-6, 3-6 loss to home bet and qualifier Han Shi in the round of 32.

Joining her in leaving Wuhan early is her close friend Zeynep Sonmez, whom she played doubles with and fell 2-6, 3-6, to wildcard and Ukrainian pair of Anhelina Kalinina and Dayana Yastremska.

Prior to her lackluster Wuhan Open campaign, Eala settled for bronze in the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, after a 3–6, 6–3, 2–6 defeat against China's Wang Xiyu. Eala also recorded a second-round exit in the Asiad doubles where she played alongside Shaira Rivera and fell to China’s Jiang Xinyu and Yang Zhaoxuan, 7-5, 6-2.

However, the current world no. 19’s rough path in the Asian Swing originally started in the Singapore Open where she fell 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, to Tatiana Prozorova in their round of 16 meeting.

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