Top ATP coach reveals the first thing players should do against Washington champion Alex Eala
Greg Rusedski has outlined the first thing a player should do when preparing to face Alex Eala.
This year just keeps on getting better for the 21-year-old after she lifted the Washington Open trophy following a three-set comeback win over Jessica Pegula.
The American took the first set 6-4 before rain and lightning halted play when Eala was 2-1 up in the second on Sunday. Play resumed on Monday, and Pegula ended up winning just three more games in a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory for the Filipina.
The unseeded youngster became the first player from her country to win a WTA Tour title, a result that saw her crack the top 20 in the rankings for the first time.
After her triumph, she said, “I feel so much love. I knew whatever happened, this match would have already been a win for me. My first chance at a title, knowing it won’t be the last, and already [I’ve] achieved this milestone for my career.”
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Despite all the excitement around Eala, she still has her detractors. Although she is now in the top 20, her serving stats are well outside the top 50. Indeed, Serena Williams’ coach, Rennae Stubbs, thinks she won’t win a Grand Slam with that in her arsenal.
However, Rusedski thinks that relative weakness can be sharpened up, with the former British No 1 backing Eala to make some serving improvements ahead of the 2027 season.
While Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard’s coach has called her the “most exciting” player on the women’s tour, with a great mentality and return game, the former US Open finalist would encourage her opponents to always make the Filipina serve first in a match to potentially knock her confidence.
He said on the latest episode of Off Court with Greg Rusedski, “I think that’s [Eala’s serve] something that she can work on in the off-season, continue to build up, and work with her coach. She’s got a great bunch of people around her, and players will talk in the locker room.
“The question mark for me is when she plays the [Aryna] Sabalenkas or the [Elena] Rybakinas, they’re going to step in, and they’re going to crunch that second serve, especially on a hard court where you get a true bounce.
“But what I’m impressed with is how she holds her position on the baseline; her returns are exceptional. The way she takes the ball so early, she likes to win the battle of the real estate, but the problem she has with the second service was when you get Rybakina and Sabalenka, they’re not going to hold back, especially on a hard court with the true bounce.
“They’re just going to go rifling, but it’s the battle because you know, Eala is going to break you a lot of times. So that puts undue pressure on your service game. And do you have the mentality to keep on going after?
“So if I was playing and coaching [against] Eala, I’d always get her to serve first. I’d say ‘I’m returning first, let’s put the pressure on her right away and go after it’. That said, her mentality is second to none.”
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