Alexandra Eala has enjoyed a stellar start to her summer of hard-court tennis, but her task in Washington gets no easier with her next opponent.
After all, having beaten Qinwen Zheng and Leylah Fernandez to kick-start her return to action, next up is Elina Svitolina, the hugely impressive Ukrainian who has shone on this surface in 2026.
They did play once earlier this year, their first-ever meeting. It was the Filipina superstar who emerged victorious on that occasion, on the grass of Berlin.
However, there was fighting talk from Svitolina, as she spoke on court straight after beating Polina Kudermetova.
Elina Svitolina speaks for the first time after setting up Alex Eala match
The four-time Grand Slam semi-finalist began with an assessment of the match that had just concluded, where she outlasted her opponent across two hard-fought sets.
“I was trying to be locked in all match,” she began, before referencing her opponent: “Of course, the first match on hard courts, you know, so everything is new.
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“She had a couple of matches and qualifying as well in the first round. So, of course, you know, it’s nice to have a bye, but sometimes, you know, to get court time is also not too bad.
“So, it was nice to actually find my game, find myself towards the end of the match, and just, yeah, happy to be through into a quarter-final.”
Svitolina then reserved praise for the fans who stuck around to watch her, adding: “Yeah, thank you so much, guys. Thank you.
“Also, to see how many Ukrainian flags are really touching for me. I’m representing my country always, you know, it gives me goosebumps, and thank you so much for singing around, and I’ll see you tomorrow, a bit earlier than today!”
She was then asked about her next match-up, a mouth-watering encounter with Alexandra Eala.
Svitolina claimed: “Yeah, it was a good match. She played really well. I mean, she played a good grass-court season, and it was, you know, not an easy battle for me.
“Tomorrow is a new surface, new country, new city. So it’s a new challenge, and yeah, hopefully I’m gonna draw some confidence from tonight’s match and carry it tomorrow.”
If Eala wins the Washington Open, a new ranking milestone beckons, as if she needed any more incentive.
Alex Eala has actually beaten Elina Svitolina twice this year
Whilst their official head-to-head record will show just the one win for Eala against Svitolina in their career, they have actually faced each other twice in 2026.
After all, whilst their singles record shows that hugely impressive Berlin Open triumph for the 21-year-old, it will unsurprisingly does not include her doubles success.
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Partnering Iva Jovic, Eala faced the legendary combination of Svitolina and Venus Williams at the ASB Classic back in January.
There, the youthful pairing emerged victorious, thus giving the Philippines’ greatest tennis export an extra edge for today’s clash.
