Alex Eala is preparing to return to action at the Madrid Open and there are clear areas of her game that need to be ramped up if she is to challenge the leading contenders at the top of the women’s game.
Eala’s stunning breakthrough at last year’s Miami Open, which included a fine win against Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek, propelled the Filipina star to global fame.
She backed up that run in Florida by breaking into the top 30 of the WTA Rankings and emerging as one of the most popular players in the game.
Yet finding a way to consistently compete with the best won’t be easy for Eala and here are four big areas she needs to improve:
THE SERVE
Eala’s frame is not packed with power and that means she may have a serve that challenges the game’s biggest hitters.
She is down at 44th in the rankings for service points won on the WTA Tour this year and she is 87th for service games won, after emerging victorious in 64.7% of her service games.
A more punchy first serve could be crucial to Eala’s hopes of getting into the top 20 of the rankings and maybe into the top 10.
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PHYSICALITY
As she looks to move up the levels at the top of the game, Eala is coming up against seasoned professionals who have the physical attributes to win matches day after day.
Eala’s record so far suggests she struggles to back up a win by performing at her best a day later and she has suffered some heavy defeats in the opening weeks of 2026.
Building her physical presence on court will take time and that will be crucial to what comes next.
MENTALITY
When the tide turns against Eala, she has struggled to push it back in her favour.
She lost against Karolina Muchova in Miami after winning just two games and also won just two games in her defeat against Linda Noskova in Indian Wells.
Eala was well beaten by Leylah Fernandez at the Stuttgart Open as she looked to kick-start he clay court season, so she may need to find new tactics to change the momentum in matches that are not going her way.
VARIETY
Eala needs to find a way to knock opponents out of their stride when her Plan A isn’t working.
She can hit a clean ball from the back of the court, and that will give her a chance to hit through lower-ranked opponents, but Eala is now playing in marquee events and her power will not frighten top-ranked opponents.
Drop shots, changing the shape of her ball from the baseline and varying the pace of her shot could all be crucial to what she needs to do next.
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VERDICT
After achieving so much so soon, Eala is dealing with inflated expectations, but there is still plenty of time for this 20-year-old to reach her peak.
She has proved she can match the best when she is fit and firing and the big challenge for all players at this stage of their career is finding a way to win consistently.
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