Alex Eala dismisses fatigue claims after Hong Kong Open victory over Emerson Jones
Alex Eala secured a first-round victory at the Hong Kong Open against Emerson Jones with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-3.
Although the 21-year-old fell behind from 5-1 to 5-3 in the second set, she maintained her composure to complete the win and advance to face Tereza Valentova of Czechia.
Following her match against Jones, Eala was asked to evaluate her 2026 campaign, as a reporter highlighted reports suggesting she has appeared fatigued over recent weeks and months.
Alex Eala maintains that she has enjoyed an ‘amazing’ season despite the fatigue allegations.
“My year has been amazing! It’s been incredible. I don’t want to get too into it yet; I feel like if I get too into it, I will become quite emotional because of the year I’ve had, but you know, I’m still in the tournament, and I’m still motivated to go as far as I can here. But my year has been absolutely just incredible. I’m so grateful for everything I’ve been through,” said Eala during her post-match press conference.
“I guess maybe that’s the opinion of some, like you said. But I hit my career high this week, guys! If I’m tired and 17 in the world, that’s great. Being tired is a blessing as well. Being tired means I’ve been working hard, having lots of matches, competing a lot, and healthy enough to work, and in a healthy mindset to put myself in these situations of pressure. I think I’m doing great.”
Eala has risen to 17th in the ‘Live WTA Rankings’, marking a career-high ranking. She retains a chance to finish the season within the top 15 if she wins the Hong Kong Open and Sorana Cirstea exits early.
Live WTA Rankings
- 15. Sorana Cirstea – 2,386 points
- 16. Naomi Osaka – 2,315 points
- 17. Alex Eala – 2,289 points
- 18. Leylah Fernandez – 2,201 points
- 19. Belinda Bencic – 2,168 points
The Filipina player has claimed two titles this year, including her maiden WTA Tour title. While her overall 46-26 singles record is highly impressive, questions remain regarding the validity of fatigue claims.
Alex Eala’s 2026 record (46-26)
| Tournament | Tier | Performance | Match wins | Defeat |
| ASB Classic | WTA 250 | Semi-final | 3 (Donna Vekic, Petra Marcinko, Magda Linette) | Wang Xinyu |
| Australian Open | Grand Slam | First round | 0 | Alycia Parks |
| Philippine Women’s Open | WTA 125 | Quarter-final | 2 (Alina Charaeva, Himeno Sakatsume) | Camila Osorio |
| Abu Dhabi Open | WTA 500 | Quarter-final | 2 (Zeynep Sonmez, Aliaksandra Sasnovich) | Ekaterina Alexandrova |
| Qatar Open | WTA 1000 | First round | 0 | Tereza Valentova |
| Dubai Tennis Championships | WTA 1000 | Quarter-final | 3 (Hailey Baptiste, Jasmine Paolini, Sorana Cirstea) | Coco Gauff |
| Indian Wells | WTA 1000 | Fourth round | 2 (Dayana Yastremska, Coco Gauff) | Linda Noskova |
| Miami Open | WTA 1000 | Fourth round | 2 (Laura Siegemund, Magda Linette) | Karolina Muchova |
| Linz Open | WTA 500 | Second round | 1 (Julia Grabher) | Jelena Ostapenko |
| Stuttgart Open | WTA 500 | First round | 0 | Leylah Fernandez |
| Madrid Open | WTA 1000 | Second round | 1 (Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova) | Elise Mertens |
| Italian Open | WTA 1000 | Third round | 2 (Magdalena Frech, Wang Xinyu) | Elena Rybakina |
| Internationaux de Strasbourg | WTA 500 | First round | 0 | Oleksandra Oliynykova |
| French Open | Grand Slam | First round | 0 | Iva Jovic |
| Birmingham Open | WTA 125 | Champion | 5 (Priscilla Hon, Alina Charaeva, Mananchaya Sawangkaew, Rebeka Masarova, Nikola Bartunkova) | – |
| Queen’s Club Championships | WTA 500 | Second round | 1 (Zhang Shuai) | Iva Jovic |
| Berlin Open | WTA 500 | Semi-final | 3 (Donna Vekic, Elena Rybakina, Elina Svitolina) | Linda Noskova |
| Bad Homburg Open | WTA 500 | First round | 0 | Elise Mertens |
| Wimbledon | Grand Slam | Fourth round | 3 (Renata Zarazua, Maya Joint, Iga Swiatek) | Jasmine Paolini |
| Washington Open | WTA 500 | Champion | 5 (Qinwen Zheng, Leylah Fernandez, Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka, Jessica Pegula) | – |
| Canadian Open | WTA 1000 | Fourth round | 2 (Alycia Parks, Caty McNally) | Belinda Bencic |
| Cincinnati Open | WTA 1000 | Third round | 1 (Elena-Gabriela Ruse) | Amanda Anisimova |
| US Open | Grand Slam | Third round | 2 (Mary Stoiana, Oleksandra Oliynykova) | Iva Jovic |
| Singapore Tennis Open | WTA 500 | Second round | 0 | Tatiana Prozorova |
| Asian Games | – | Semi-final | 2 (Patcharin Cheapchandej, Joanna Garland) | Wang Xiyu |
| Wuhan Open | WTA 1000 | First round | 0 | Shi Han |
| Ningbo Open | WTA 500 | Second round | 1 (Diane Parry) | Diana Shnaider |
| Japan Open | WTA 500 | Quarter-final | 2 (Mika Stojsavljevic, Talia Gibson) | Diana Shnaider |
| Hong Kong Open* | WTA 250 | Second round | 1 (Emerson Jones) | – |
Alex Eala’s 2026 record
Since the US Open, Eala has endured several surprising losses that have worried her supporters. She went winless in Singapore and Wuhan, managed only a single victory in Ningbo, China, and missed out on the gold medal at the Asian Games.
Whether these defeats can be entirely attributed to fatigue is a matter only she can resolve, a point she addressed during her press conference when questioned about the taping on her knee.
“Yeah, I’m feeling good. I think it’s the end of the year, so nothing out of the ordinary. I’m healthy, I’m happy, so super blessed. Yes, [my knee is ok],” said Eala.
Eala is fit and prepared for her next encounter against a familiar opponent. The Filipina holds an 0-2 record against Valentova, having previously lost to the Czech player at the 2025 Japan Women’s Open and the 2026 Qatar Open.
Alex Eala prepares for ‘good challenge’ against Tereza Valentova
“I think we’ve had, well, I’ve had very tough matches against her in the past. I think she’s proven to be a really good player, not just against me, but she’s played really well,” said Eala when asked about her record against Valentova.
“It should be a good challenge for me, like every match. All I can do is do my best to prepare, and when I’m out there, fight with everything I have.”
Eala is scheduled to play Valentova in the second round of the Hong Kong Open on Thursday, November 5. A victory would see her advance to the quarter-finals to face either Xinyu Wang, Antonia Ruzic, or Alina Charaeva.
