By Joel Reyes
Alex Eala barged into the second round of the 2026 HSBC Championships on Tuesday, recording a 6-3, 6-2 win over Shuai Zhang on Court 1 at Queen's Club.
Eala stormed back after trailing 0-2 early in the first set, winning 12 of the next 15 games to complete the Round of 32 victory in one hour and nine minutes.
It was a dominant performance from Eala, who was coming off a title win at the Birmingham Open last weekend.
Next up for Eala is a second-round showdown with close friend Iva Jovic. That matchup is a rematch of their first-round clash at the 2026 French Open, which Jovic won in straight sets.