Alex Eala has been on the receiving end of criticism for her poor form on the WTA Tour recently.
The Filipina star, who captured her first WTA title at the Washington Open earlier this year, has suffered three consecutive upset defeats. Following her third-round exit at the US Open, Eala has been beaten by world number 117 Tatiana Prozorova in Singapore, number 85 Wang Xiyu at the Asian Games, and 217th-ranked Shi Han at the Wuhan Open.
EJ Obiena comes to the defence of Alex Eala amid poor run of form
The result in Wuhan was a huge blow for Eala, but her compatriot, Olympic pole vaulter EJ Obiena, thinks criticism of the 21-year-old has gone too far. “We are human,” said Obiena in a post on Instagram.
“Athletes may sometimes be treated like gods. But we are not. We have good days and bad days, just like everyone else. One result cannot define a person. Support matters. If you want to help Alex, me, or any athlete, pick us up when we are down.
“Harsh comments are not the support that helps us return stronger. Failure is not synonymous with losing. Even the greats lose. A bad competition, a losing streak, even a difficult season: sooner or later every athlete faces them.
“Perfection can be the objective, but nobody wins everything. So asking if Alex’s string of losses suggests she has failed is the wrong question (or for any national athlete for that matter, yours truly included).
“There is no such thing as failure in attempting, and in sports, there are good days and bad days, and some days you win and some days you lose, which is what gives sport its beauty and toughness.”
Alex Eala will look to bounce back at the 2026 Ningbo Open
Eala will look to put the string of defeats behind her at the 2026 Ningbo Open, one of the last tournaments of the WTA season. Eala’s first opponent at the WTA 500 event comes in the form of Diane Parry.
Should she advance past the French star, whom she has never faced before at a tour-level competition, Eala will take on French Open semifinalist Diana Shnaider or Yulia Putintseva. Eala’s half of the draw is a tough one, featuring world number one Elena Rybakina, Iva Jovic and Belinda Bencic.
On the other half of the draw, second seed Iga Swiatek will continue her bid to qualify for the WTA Finals. Marta Kostyuk, also in that half, is competing with the Pole for a spot in the year-end tournament.