Alex Eala is closing in on a return to the WTA Tour as she takes on the Wuhan Open in China.
The Filipina superstar missed the China Open in Beijing, opting instead to represent her nation at the Asian Games. Eala won the bronze medal in Japan, and will now be looking to continue that momentum at the Wuhan Open.
Eala will play Shi Han in her opening match of the WTA 1000 tournament, where she starts out in round one as the 13th seed. But she is also playing doubles, and will link up with her close friend Zeynep Sonmez.
What do you make of Alexandra Eala’s Wuhan Open draw?
Tell us what round you think she will reach! 👇
Alex Eala to play Wuhan Open doubles with Zeynep Sonmez
Eala’s first round opponent Han made it through qualifying to reach the singles main draw, and Sonmez has done the exact same. The Turkish ace defeated Anastasia Zakharova and Sinja Kraus, setting up a main draw first round meeting with Yulia Putintseva, another qualifier.
The Wuhan Open doubles draw has also been confirmed, with good friends Eala and Sonmez starting out against Ukrainian duo Dayana Yastremska and Anhelina Kalinina. If they win that match, they will play against Anna Danilina and Zhang Shuai, the second seeds.
However, Eala will very likely be prioritising her singles run at the WTA 1000 tournament as she looks to get back to winning ways. Eala has a favourable draw in Wuhan, where she is chasing a second career title after her stunning success in Washington earlier this year.
| Top rank by year | Year-end ranking | |
| 48 | 2026 | – |
| 69 | 2025 | 113 |
| 88 | 2024 | 91 |
| 146 | 2023 | 159 |
| 335 | 2022 | 345 |
| 526 | 2021 | 531 |
| 587 | 2020 | 628 |
| 652 | 2019 | 663 |
| 883 | 2018 | – |
| 1208 | 2017 | 1208 |
Like Eala, Sonmez is a one-time WTA champion, having claimed her only title to date at Merida in 2024. Having once climbed as high as world number 48, the Turkish ace is currently ranked 58th, while her career win/loss record stands at 258/177.
She has already played doubles with Eala this season, with the duo having partnered at the Madrid Open in April. They knocked out Chan Hao-ching and Fanny Stollar before losing to Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend. Eala and Sonmez have also met three times in their singles careers, with the Filipina superstar winning all three matches.
Add to Preferred Sources 