Alexandra Eala has quickly become one of the most popular players on the WTA Tour, but a maiden title has thus far remained elusive.
Eala is now 40th in the world rankings, a career-high for the Philippines star, who has over 200 career wins to her name.
But those wins haven’t yet equated to a WTA Tour title, which hasn’t been the case for several of her young rivals.
The likes of Mirra Andreeva, Iva Jovic, Victoria Mboko and Maya Joint have all managed to get over that significant hurdle in their brief careers so far.
At 20, Eala has plenty of time for WTA success, but it’s clear that she needs to improve her serving in order to do that.
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Alexandra Eala must address her serving struggles
At 1.75m, Eala is certainly not one of the tallest players on the WTA Tour, and so already has a disadvantage compared to many other formidable figures.
She’s recorded just seven aces in the early stages of the 2026 season so far, while Elena Rybakina has already hit a huge 75, more than any other player.
But it has become increasingly clear that all aspects of her serve could be much better, from first serve to second serve and everything in between, with a particularly worrying double faults tally.
| Aces | Double faults | 1st serve % | 1st serve points % | 2nd serve points % | Serve points won | Break point % | Service games won | |
| 7 | 29 | 65.8 % | 61.2% | 44.1% | 55.4% | 53.4% | 63.4% | |
| Rank | 97th | 23rd | 59th | 102nd | 89th | 96th | 82nd | 85th |
Of course, the number of matches and level of tournament for each player must be taken into consideration, but the figures do provide a clear image of Eala’s current efforts.
It isn’t any major cause for concern just yet, but it is certainly an area that she should be focusing on, particularly with the rapid rise of many young players around her.
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Alexandra Eala’s impressive return game making up for serving issues
Her superb returning comes in stark contrast to her serving struggles, which are unsurprising given her background.
Eala emerged through Rafael Nadal’s academy, with the Spaniard having been lethal in that area during his simply outstanding career.
READ MORE: Alexandra Eala posts message to fans after her early exit from the Qatar Open
The 20-year-old cannot, of course, be compared to the 22-time Grand Slam champion, but that background may just inspire her to raise her serving standards.
Importantly, she has no such issues when it comes to returning, with Eala having impressed in that key area in 2026 so far.
| 1st return points | 2nd return points | Return games won | Break points converted | Return points won | |
| 40.3% | 60.8% | 43.5% | 38.1% | 47.7% | |
| Rank | 24th | 20th | 28th | 136th | 18th |
That should allow the youngster to spend more time on her serve, which right now is lacking both speed and power.
While she very likely won’t challenge big-hitters like Aryna Sabalenka and Rybakina, any improvement will make a big difference to her rates of success.
Importantly, the Filipina has already proven her fantastic mental strength, with that very useful characteristic helping her stay in matches that were seemingly once lost.
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