Who is Zhang Shuai? Alex Eala's first-round opponent in HSBC Championships

Alex Eala is seeking to carry her momentum from her Birmingham Open title run into a new campaign as she opens her bid in the 2026 HSBC Championships on Tuesday.

The Filipina star will slug it out against veteran Shuai Zhang of China in the Round of 32 set at 5 p.m. at the Queen's Club as both players meet for the first time in their careers.

The 37-year-old Zhang is currently ranked no. 64 in the world and reached a career-high no. 22 in 2023.

A three-time Grand Slam doubles champion, Zhang has also enjoyed success in singles, capturing WTA titles at the Guangzhou Open in 2013 and 2017 and the Lyon Open in 2022. Her best Grand Slam singles results came with quarterfinal appearances at the 2016 Australian Open and the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, the deepest runs of her career in a major.

The Chinese veteran competed at the HSBC Championships last year, winning her first qualifying match against Brooke Black before bowing out to Ajla Tomljanović in the subsequent round.

The HSBC Championships will serve as Zhang's first grass event of the year after wrapping up a busy clay-court swing that saw her compete in nine tournaments, the last of which was the French Open, where she fell to Ann Li in the opening round.

Zhang stands in the way of Eala's chase for a second straight grass title after the Filipina star ruled the Birmingham Open on Sunday night, capturing her second overall WTA title after also winning the WTA125 Guadalajara Open last September.

The winner of this match will face either world no. 19 Iva Jovic or no. 58 Antonia Ruzic in the Round of 16.

—JMB, GMA News