By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
With her status now, Filipina ace Alex Eala needs to produce more statement wins if she is to join the elite club.
Given another opportunity to slay another giant, Eala should face the challenge head on if she wishes to get back at world No. 2 and two-time Grand Slam champion Elena Rybakina in the second round of the 2026 Berlin Open in Germany.
Match is scheduled not before 11:30 p.m. (Philippine time) on Thursday, June 18, with the 21-year-old Filipina standout carrying the momentum of a hard-fought 7-5, 6-4 victory over Croatian veteran Donna Vekic on Wednesday, June 17.
Eala entered the tournament as a wildcard, while Rybakina, the No. 2 seed, enjoyed a first-round bye.
It will be the second meeting between Eala and the 27-year-old Rybakina, regarded as one of the most dangerous grass court players on Tour.
They last crossed paths in May at the WTA 1000 Italian Open where Rybakina prevailed in straight sets in the third round.
Now ranked No. 35, Eala hopes to flip the script this time as she draws confidence from her recent title run at the Birmingham Classic two weeks ago.
Still, Eala knows the task won’t be easy against the Kazakh star, whose powerful serves and aggressive baseline game have made her a consistent threat on the tour.
Just this season, Rybakina has only lost her second match twice, including last week’s quarterfinal match against Katie Boulter in the HSBC Championships.
Still, it didn’t discount the fact that Rybakina’s career record at grass court tournaments is 35-14, including all qualifying matches.
Judging her win over Vekic, Eala should give Rybakina a tough challenge.
Vekic came into the tournament emboldened by her recent title win at the Queen’s Club in London but found Eala a hard nut to crack.
