By Joel Reyes
The stage is set for the first-ever clay showdown between Alex Eala and Xinyu Wang. The pair will lock horns at 5 pm on Friday (PH time) in the second round of the 2026 Italian Open, with Nicola Pietrangeli Stadium the venue for their much-anticipated clash.
Eala is already familiar with that court as she recorded her first-ever Italian Open match win at Pietrangeli. She defeated Magdalena Frech in the first round there, recording a thrilling 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 win in a match that lasted two hours and seven minutes.
Eala will look to make it back-to-back wins with a victory against Wang and reach the third round of a WTA 1000 clay event for the first time in her career.