Alexandra Eala’s time at the Italian Open will continue thanks to a brilliant straight sets win against Wang Xinyu.

The 20-year-old rising star has now beaten Magdalena Frech and Wang Xinyu back-to-back to earn her first pair of wins at a clay court tournament this year.

Eala won 6-3, 6-4 to reach the third round of Masters tournament and set up a tantaslising potential match with World No. 2 Elena Rybakina.

The Filipina star will play the winner of Rybakina and Maria Sakkari as she looks to gain enough points to earn seeded entry into Roland Garros.

No matter the result of her third round match, Eala has already set career history thanks to her performances at the Italian Open.

She has reached the third round of a clay court Masters event for the first time in her career, following her maiden tournament in the 2025 season.

The star has made no bones about her feelings on the surface, so Eala, who has received coaching from Rafael Nadal, will surely embrace this new accolade.

Eala made her clay court Masters debut at the Madrid Open in 2025, which saw her defeated in the second round by Iga Swiatek.

She followed that up with a drubbing the opening round of the Italian Open, as she lost out to Marta Kostyuk, winning just one game in the process.

This year so far, Eala reached the second round at the Madrid Open. She defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets before losing by the same scoreline to Elise Mertens.

Eala’s third round appearance at the Italian Open has not only seen her break new ground in her career, but she has also gained 55 ranking points.

The 20-year-old currently sits at World No. 37 in the WTA Tour rankings, but she will need to make up ground to earn seeded entry into Roland Garros.

The top 32 players received seeded entry, which ensures they do not play each other in the opening few rounds. It’s a major advantage, but Eala could miss out.

If she does miss out, she could play any of the top five in her opening round match in Paris. Eala’s difficult form on the clay court season has ensured she could have a difficult time at Roland Garros once again.

At last year’s Roland Garros, Eala was defeated by Emiliana Arango in three sets. She will be hoping to go at least one better at this year’s event.

Eala has only ever picked up one victory in a Grand Slam singles event, which came at last year’s US Open. The Filipina stunned Clara Tauson to pick up one of the biggest wins of her career.

She was then defeated in straight sets by Cristina Bucșa, who beat the star 6-4 6-3 to set up a third round match with Elise Mertens.