By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala added another milestone to her rapidly rising career after becoming one of the few players to defeat all three medalists in the women’s singles event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Filipina sensation completed the rare feat with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen in the opening round of the Mubadala DC Open in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, July 29 (Philippine time).
Eala had previously beaten Olympic silver medalist Donna Vekic twice, most recently in the Round of 32 of the 2026 Berlin Open last month. She also owns two victories over bronze medalist Iga Swiatek in their three career meetings, including a third-round triumph at Wimbledon earlier this month.
More than just completing a rare feat, the victory served as redemption for Eala, who had fallen to Zheng in the semifinals of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. At the time, Zheng was ranked world No. 23 and eventually won the Asian Games gold medal, while the then 18-year-old Eala was No. 192 and settled for the bronze.
With her victory over Zheng, Eala arranged another blockbuster showdown with seventh seed Leylah Fernandez, who earlier clobbered Magda Linette, 6-1, 6-4.
“I think it’s gonna be a tough match for me,” said Eala on her next opponent, a 2021 US Open finalist. “Leylah is such an amazing player and an amazing person as well, so I think right now, my first priority is to recover, take care of my body so that I can arrive in my best shape possible to compete.”
Fernandez, a Canadian of Filipino descent, also acknowledged that a potential showdown with Eala would be far from easy, saying in her post-match interview — while Zheng and Eala were still battling on court — that she expected a tough contest against the Filipina.
“Both players are tricky… Alex, she’s having a tremendous year, winning some tough matches, coming off a great Wimbledon run, so they’re both comin in with some good confidence. Either player is gonna be a tough match,” Fernandez said.
“For myself, I’m just gonna focus on my own game and what can I do to neutralize them and make them uncomfortable. And at the end of the day, if I can do my objectives, and work hard and fight, I can leave the court with no regrets regardless of the result,” she added.
