Alex Eala adds another event to packed grass-court schedule
Alex Eala has been confirmed for another grass-court event as she has received a direct entry into the Queen’s Club Championship after another player withdrew from the WTA 500 event.
Following her early exit from the French Open, Eala made an immediate jump from clay to grass as she entered the WTA 125K Birmingham Open and she started her campaign with an excellent 6-0, 6-2 win over Priscilla Hon.
The top seed will face world No 130 Alina Charaeva in the second round and victory over the Russian will earn her a quarter-final clash against either world No 170 Mananchaya Sawangkaew or No 145 Kayla Day.
Should Eala make the final, then she will remain in Birmingham until 7 June as the showpiece match is set for Sunday.
And there will be a quick turnaround as her next tournament, the Queen’s Club Championships, runs from 8-14 June in London with her entry into the main draw only confirmed on Tuesday following Cristina Bucsa’s withdrawal.
The 21-year-old was initially on the alternate list for the WTA 500 event and scheduled to play in qualifiers, but several spots opened up following the withdrawal of Linda Noskova, Hailey Baptiste and Bucsa.
Alex Eala News
Alex Eala gets candid advice from former world No 4 after Roland Garros defeat
Roland Garros: Iva Jovic and Alex Eala’s heartwarming moment before and after match
Zheng Qinwen and Karolina Pliskova are the other two players who have benefitted while Elena Rybakina has also been a late addition to the main draw as she was a “like-for-like” top-30 replacement after top seed Jessica Pegula withdrew.
Eala is yet to confirm her plans for the week of 15-20 June as she is not on the entry list of the Berlin Open or the Nottingham Open, although she could still receive a late wildcard.
She will then head to Germany for the Bad Homburg Open – 21-28 June – where she will team up in the doubles alongside tennis great Venus Williams and the Filipina can’t wait to play with the former world No 1.
“I am really, really excited. I mean, Venus is such a trailblazer and continues to do so much and has done so much for the sport,” she said.
The world No 37 doesn’t have a direct entry into the singles, but she could still move up as an alternate, receive a wildcard or play in the qualifying tournament.
The grass-court season will come to a culmination at Wimbledon, where Eala will make her second appearance following her debut at the All England Club 12 months ago.
The Filipina was handed a tough opening assignment in 2025 as she faced 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova with the Czech winning 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Eala still has a chance to secure a seeded position at this year’s grass-court Grand Slam, but she will need a couple of deep runs at some tournaments in the next few weeks.
