After a frustrating few weeks in Asia, the Philippines’ top tennis player finally found her winning touch again. This time, she made it look easy.
Alex Eala beat Diane Parry of France 6 to 3, 6 to 1 in the first round of the Ningbo Open on Monday evening, Oct. 19, 2026, ending a losing streak of three matches.
How did Alex Eala win at the Ningbo Open?
With sharp returning. Both players held serve through the first four games before Eala broke in the fifth game for a 3 to 2 lead.
A string of breaks followed, as both players lost serve in the next two games. Eala then steadied herself in the eighth game, using her backhand to control rallies and hold for a 5 to 3 lead.
She broke again in the ninth game with aggressive returns to take the first set 6 to 3. It was her third break of the set.
Her return game made the difference. Eala won 11 points on Parry’s first serve, nearly three times the four points Parry won on Eala’s. Winning points against an opponent’s first serve is often a sign of a player reading the ball well and returning with confidence.
How dominant was the second set?
Very. Eala extended her run to seven straight games, breaking early to jump ahead 3 to 0. She survived a long fourth game that went to deuce and broke again for a 4 to 0 lead.
Parry broke back in the fifth game, but Eala immediately answered with another break for a 5 to 1 lead. She then held serve to close out the match.
Consistency was key. Eala made just nine unforced errors, compared with 25 for Parry. That steadiness allowed her to control long rallies and take advantage of her opponent’s mistakes.
Why does this Ningbo Open win matter for Eala?
It ends a rough stretch. The victory was her first of the Asian swing after losses to Tatiana Prozorova at the Singapore Tennis Open and Shi Han at the Wuhan Open. The Wuhan loss came against a qualifier ranked No. 217.
Before those defeats, Eala lost to Wang Xiyu of China in the semifinals of the Asian Games, settling for a bronze medal.
In both Singapore and Wuhan, she won the first set before losing. Against Parry at the Ningbo Open, she never let her opponent back into the match. Closing out matches had become a concern after those consecutive setbacks.
The Ningbo Open is a WTA 500 event, giving Eala a valuable chance to collect ranking points late in the season. WTA 500 tournaments rank below the WTA 1000 events but still feature strong fields.
Eala is currently ranked No. 20 in the world. She has become the face of tennis in the Philippines, drawing strong support from Filipino fans.
Who is Diane Parry?
Parry is a French player who is 24. The loss was her fifth straight defeat on tour, extending a difficult stretch of her own. She has struggled to string together wins this season.
Who will Eala face next at the Ningbo Open?
She will meet the winner of a match between Yulia Putintseva and sixth seed Diana Shnaider in the Ningbo Open round of 16.
Either opponent would pose a tougher test. Shnaider is a seeded player, and Putintseva is a veteran known for her fighting spirit. Shnaider has risen quickly in recent seasons.
For Alex Eala, the Ningbo Open win could be the reset she needed heading into the final weeks of the season. A deep run in Ningbo would also help her finish the year strong.
