Alex Eala outlasts Magdalena Frech in Italian Open Round of 128

Alex Eala fended off a potential collapse after a dominant opening set, outlasting Poland’s Magdalena Frech, 6–0, 3–6, 6–4, in the Round of 128 of the Italian Open on Wednesday in Rome.

Eala will next face 31st-seeded Xinyu Wang in the Round of 64.

The Filipina ace was off to a blistering start after blanking Frech in the opening frame, but the 28-year-old Frech got her act together by capitalizing on the errors from Eala before finishing off Set 2 with an emphatic ace.

Frech then opened Set 3 with a 3-1 start, but the Filipina bet won the next three games to take over the lead at 4-3. Frech, however, responded with another service ace in the eighth game to level the set at 4–4.

The next game proved pivotal as Eala and Frech engaged in a grueling exchange. The Filipina gained the upperhand with three advantage points while back-to-back errors from Frech allowed Eala to break the deadlock and move within a game of victory at 5–4.

Eala struggled to close it out at first, but a backhand play to end a long rally saw the Filipina cruising to the victory and into the next phase.

Season recap

Clay-court swing

• Madrid Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 64
• Stuttgart Open (WTA 500) — Round of 32
• Linz Open (WTA 500) — Round of 16

Sunshine Swing

• Miami Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 16
• Indian Wells Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 16

Middle East Swing

• Dubai Tennis Championships (WTA 1000) — Quarterfinals
• Qatar Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 64
• Abu Dhabi Open (WTA 500) — Quarterfinals

Philippine Women’s Open (WTA 125) — Quarterfinals

Australian Swing

• Australian Open (Grand Slam) — Round of 128
• ASB Classic (WTA 250) — Semifinals

—JKC, GMA News