On October 19, 2026, Alexandra Eala of the Philippines achieved her 34th tour-level victory of the season by defeating France's Diane Parry in straight sets at the WTA 500 tournament in Ningbo, China. Eala, 21, had struggled recently, facing a three-match losing streak, including early exits in Singapore and Wuhan.
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In the match, Eala and Parry exchanged early breaks, but Eala dominated after reaching a 3-3 tie. She won the next seven games, securing the opening set 6-3 and building a 4-0 lead in the second before closing out the match with a score of 6-3, 6-1 in 1 hour and 17 minutes.
Eala showcased her consistency, hitting 12 winners compared to Parry's 11, while mitigating errors with 9 unforced mistakes, resulting in a winner-to-unforced-error ratio of 1.33. In contrast, Parry recorded 25 unforced errors for a ratio of 0.44.
"I'm very happy with my performance," Eala stated after the match. "I think it was a really good first round, tough first round. Diane is a great player and I think she's had a really good year." Eala expressed gratitude to her supporters, acknowledging their presence as a source of encouragement, especially during challenging moments.
In the next round, Eala is set to face either sixth-seeded Diana Shnaider or qualifier Yulia Putintseva, marking her first encounters with both players.