Alex Eala won a bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The Filipina was the top seed and gold-medal favourite, but failed to deliver the title for her country. Eala lost to Wang Xiyu in the semi-finals, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6.
Still, Eala received a bronze medal for her efforts, as did Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, who lost the other semi-final to the second seed, Zhang Shuai.
After the match, Serena Williams’ former coach Rick Macci delivered his verdict on Eala, arguing that one area of her game is ‘average’ compared to some of the best players in women’s tennis.
Rick Macci claims Alex Eala’s movement is ‘average’ after watching her take Asian Games bronze
“The Philippine Machine can beat anybody anytime anywhere. Unreal clean ball striker. Can control the center of the court. Can eat the second serve for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Mentally has that calm gene. So, big picture, she checks a lot of boxes for the top ten and big upsets in big events because she can hurt you,” said Macci on X.
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“But because her movement is average, her defence becomes limited at times. Sab [Aryna Sabalenka] and Ryba [Elena Rybakina] are average movers, and they also run the show, deal the cards, and deliver the mail like the Eala, but the X factor and wildcard is that they have the two best serves on the WTA Tour, which helps so much more.”
Macci believes Eala’s serving problems expose her ‘average’ movement, while elite servers like Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka get away with it. But do the numbers back up Macci’s claim?
In short, yes, they do. While Rybakina and Sabalenka rank in the top five or top 10 in many serving metrics this year, Eala ranks outside the top 50 in all but one: double faults, the only unwanted serving statistic.
Comparing Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Alex Eala’s serves
| Player | Aces | Double faults | 1st Serve % | Win % on 1st Serve | 2nd Serve % | Win % of Serve points | Break points saved % | Service game win % |
| Elena Rybakina | 411 (1st) | 177 (22nd) | 57.3% (245th) | 74.1% (4th) | 51.3% (17th) | 64.4% (1st) | 65.2% (11th) | 82.5% (2nd) |
| Aryna Sabalenka | 281 (3rd) | 130 (47th) | 64.1% (118th) | 71% (12th) | 53.4% (9th) | 64.7% (2nd) | 63.5% (20th) | 81.6% (3rd) |
| Alex Eala | 72 (54th) | 146 (39th) | 62.9% (136th) | 62.4% (124th) | 47.6% (60th) | 56.9% (81st) | 54.5% (120th) | 66.5% (84th) |
Macci said that Eala checks ‘a lot of boxes’ to reach the top 10 and record big upsets, but if her serve doesn’t improve, she may never realise her full potential. Eala currently sits 18th in the WTA rankings, and has beaten seven top-10 players this season.
Official WTA Rankings
- 16. Sorana Cirstea – 2,464 points
- 17. Naomi Osaka – 2,296 points
- 18. Alex Eala – 2,276 points
- 19. Elise Mertens – 2,165 points
- 20. Jasmine Paolini -2,122 points
Alex Eala’s top-10 wins (2026)
- Dubai Tennis Championships 2R vs WTA #8 Jasmine Paolini, 6-1, 7-6
- Indian Wells 3R vs WTA #4 Coco Gauff, 6-2, 2-0 (RET)
- Berlin Open 2R vs WTA #2 Elena Rybakina, 7-5, 6-4
- Berlin Open QF vs WTA #8 Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 6-4
- Wimbledon 3R vs WTA #3 Iga Swiatek, 7-6, 6-2
- Washington Open QF vs WTA #10 Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 6-4
- Washington Open F vs WTA #3 Jessica Pegula, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0
Only time will tell if Eala can make the necessary adjustments and challenge for a spot in the top 10. She will have an opportunity to close the gap to the top 10 at the upcoming Wuhan Open.
Alex Eala will make WTA return at the Wuhan Open
Eala skipped this week’s WTA 1000 event in Beijing to play the Asian Games. In doing so, Eala risked a $10,000 fine. She will be back in action at the Wuhan Open, though, the final WTA 1000 tournament of the season.
The Filipina failed to qualify for the Wuhan Open last year, losing to Moyuka Uchijima in three sets. The year before, Eala lost to Katerina Siniakova in the first round.
Alex Eala’s record at the Wuhan Open (0-2)
- 2024 Wuhan Open 1R [LOSS] vs Katerina Siniakova, 3-6, 1-6
- 2025 Wuhan Open Q1 [LOSS] vs Moyuka Uchijima, 4-6, 6-3, 2-6
She’ll be determined to win her first matches at the Wuhan Open this year, where she will compete as the 16th seed. Seeded 16th, Eala will receive a bye into the second round. The 2026 Wuhan Open begins on October 12.
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