Alex Eala withdraws from tournament after Madrid Open exit as her next event is confirmed
Alex Eala has withdrawn from a WTA tournament after her exit at the 2026 Madrid Open, and her next scheduled event has been confirmed.
On Friday, Eala suffered a one-sided 6-2, 6-1 defeat to world No 21 Elise Mertens in the second round at the WTA 1000 event in Madrid.
The 20-year-old downed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the world No 116 and a former French Open runner-up, 6-3, 6-3 in the first round in the Spanish capital.
Eala was due to compete at the Catalonia Open, a WTA 125/Challenger event in La Bisbal d’Emporda, which began today.
However, Eala has pulled out on the opening day of the clay-court tournament staged at Club Esportiu CT La Bisbal. Her place in the main draw has been taken by Varvara Lepchenko.
The Filipina, who is currently ranked 44th in the world, would have been the No 3 seed behind Wang Xinyu and Peyton Stearns.
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Following her Catalonia Open withdrawal, Eala’s next scheduled tournament is now the Italian Open.
Main draw action at this year’s edition of the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome will take place from 5 to 17 May.
Eala holds a 2-3 record on clay in 2026, having lost in the first round in Stuttgart and the second round in Linz prior to her appearance in Madrid.
Former world No 4 Greg Rusedski backed Eala to “figure it out” on clay after her loss in Madrid.
“It’s the harder hitters. It’s being on tour week in and week out. And you’re going to take some bruising losses,” said the 1997 US Open finalist.
“If you look at the one she lost the week previous in Stuttgart to Leylah Fernandez… I mean, she (Fernandez) pushed Rybakina all the way.
“So, the losses she (Eala) takes are not bad losses, it’s sometimes the scorelines. And this is part of the learning experience.
“She’s too good a player, she’ll figure it out. And what I like is her resilience.
“And if you’re a fan out there, just be a little patient. It might take a little bit longer for her, but she’s got a great team of people around her. And she’s got to find solutions. So don’t get too discouraged.”
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