WASHINGTON, D.C. — Filipina tennis star Alex Eala returned to the practice courts Thursday at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, holding a focused midday session with ATP world No. 181 Abdullah Shelbayh ahead of her quarterfinal match.
Under the watchful eye of coach Joan Bosch, Eala appeared in high spirits as she worked on groundstrokes, returns, serves, volleys and other specific shots while awaiting her opponent. She will face either second-seeded Elina Svitolina or Polina Kudermetova in the last match on center court, scheduled to begin not before 8 p.m. local time.
Eala will not know who she will play until late Thursday night but she said, "I am ready for anything."
Bosch is pleased with Alex Eala's impressive run to the quarterfinals of the Mubadala Citi DC Open. After a lengthy grass-court season followed by a break in the Philippines, Bosch said the Filipina is beginning to find her rhythm at the perfect time as the North American hard-court swing gets underway.
After victories over Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng and former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, Bosch said Eala has steadily raised her level from one match to the next.
“I’m super happy she’s doing well,” Bosch said. “It’s just the start of the US hard-court season. It’s a good start for sure.”
Bosch pointed to Eala’s opening-round win over Zheng as a crucial confidence-builder, particularly the way she managed to take the opening set.
“Alex became better and better,” he said. “She didn’t play too many points before coming here, so the first set against Qinwen was very important to win.”
He was even more impressed with Eala’s performance against Fernandez, describing her opening set as one of the best he has seen from the 20-year-old.
“The first set was one of the best sets of Alex,” Bosch said. “It’s true Leylah made some mistakes, but Alex played really well. She didn’t make too many mistakes herself.”
With the hard-court calendar packed with tournaments leading into the US Open, Bosch said their approach has remained simple — stay fully committed every time Eala steps on court.
“Reserving energy is only the day before a match,” he explained. “But not during the points. We cannot lose our intensity. Our main thing is to go fully committed.”
Bosch also refused to dwell on scheduling or other factors beyond their control. Eala played the Round of 16 match against Fernandez less than 24 hours after playing Qinwen Zheng in the first round.
“This happens in tennis,” he said. “There are many matches, many players. The tournament decided to do it like that.”
Bosch expects another stern test in the quarterfinals regardless of the opponent.
“It will be a good match,” he said. “It’s the first match of the tournament for Svitolina, while Kudermetova is doing well after coming through qualifying and beating Bucsa in the first round. Anyone will be a tough opponent for sure.”
Bosch noted that Eala already faced Svitolina during the grass-court season and expects the Ukrainian to be highly motivated should they meet again.
Looking at the bigger picture, Bosch believes Eala is entering one of the most important phases of her young career. Now ranked a career-high No. 28 in the world, the Filipina has put herself in position to build even more momentum.
“She is doing well,” Bosch said. “It’s a good moment to keep going, to play more matches and win more. This is her moment to enjoy tennis.”
“It’s now or never,” he stressed.
Bosch added that while not everything is always perfect on tour, their focus remains on adapting and making the most of every opportunity.
“Our conditions are good. If something is not perfect, we try to deal with that,” he said. “I don’t like to complain. Tennis is one long year with many matches. Whether she’s more tired or less tired tomorrow, we just try to do our best.”