Alex Eala kept her remarkable winning streak alive after defeating American Alycia Parks, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, on Thursday (Philippine time) to advance to the third round of the 2026 Canadian Open in Toronto.
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| Photo courtesy: Dyan Castillejo |
The victory came just days after the 21-year-old Filipina captured the biggest title of her career at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, where she claimed her maiden WTA singles crown.
Making her Canadian Open debut as the tournament's 25th seed, Eala received a first-round bye before opening her campaign in the Round of 64 against Parks on Centre Court.
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Eala dominated the opening set with aggressive baseline play, but Parks fought back to level the match before the Filipina regained her composure in the deciding set to close out the victory in convincing fashion.
The win also served as redemption for Eala, who suffered a three-set loss to Parks in the opening round of the Australian Open earlier this year despite winning the first set.
With another milestone victory, Eala extended the momentum she has built over the past two weeks and continued her rise as one of the WTA Tour's brightest young stars.
Awaiting Eala in the third round is American Caty McNally, who pulled off one of the tournament's biggest upsets by eliminating reigning Wimbledon champion Linda Nosková.
A win over McNally would send Eala into the Round of 16 of the prestigious WTA 1000 tournament, marking another career milestone against one of the strongest fields outside the Grand Slams.
Eala is also set to compete in the doubles event alongside seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams, giving the Filipina another opportunity to build on an already unforgettable week in Toronto.
The Canadian Open offers 1,000 WTA ranking points to the singles champion, and Eala's impressive run has strengthened her bid to continue climbing the world rankings as she carries her championship form into another of the sport's biggest stages.
— The Summit Express
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