Alexandra Eala Rallies to Beat Zheng Qinwen in Washington Open First Round

Alexandra Eala rallied to beat China’s Zheng Qinwen in the first round at the Washington Open on Wednesday. Making her debut in Washington, the world No 28 fought back to beat wild card Zheng 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in two hours and 26 minutes. Eala will face defending champion and No 7 seed Leylah Fernandez of Canada for a place in the last eight. The young rising star made global headlines earlier this month after beating Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon to become the first Philippines player to reach the last 16 of a grand slam. The Filipino is happy with the mental and physical experiences she is gaining from coming up against top players, especially over three sets. “I think it’s definitely a mindset that you have. That being said, I think it’s been trained or I’ve practised. I’ve had more experience now to implement that mindset at the higher level,” the 21-year-old said.