Philippines' Alex Eala, after defeating Julia Grabher in the round of 32, lost 6-4, 7-5 to Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko in the Linz Open round of 16 in Austria on Wednesday, April 8. She squandered leads of 4-2 in the first set and 5-1 in the second. This marks Eala's first loss to Ostapenko after beating her twice earlier in 2025.
In a round of 16 match lasting one hour and 43 minutes, Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion and 2024 Linz Open winner, showcased her experience as Eala dropped the last four games of the first set and six straight in the second.
Eala's pattern of early exits on clay courts continued this year. Ostapenko, ranked world No. 23, will next face Romania's Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the quarterfinals.
Eala had previously defeated Ostapenko 7-6(2), 7-5 en route to the semifinals at the 2025 Miami Open and 0-6, 6-2, 6-3 on her way to her first WTA final at the 2025 Eastbourne Open. "She’s a good player. This year, some good things are happening. I’m beating players that I never beat before. So it means I’m on the right way," Ostapenko said.
Eala is projected to rise to No. 45 in the WTA rankings on Monday, April 13. Her next event is the Stuttgart Open in Germany from April 13 to 19.
