Alex Eala handed unexpected Stuttgart Open boost as Qinwen Zheng pulls out

Alexandra Eala will make her Stuttgart Open debut when the event gets underway on April 13.

The Filipina, who dropped 17 spots in the WTA rankings after her defeat to Karolina Muchova in Miami, was initially expected to enter the tournament through the qualifiers.

On Tuesday, however, Eala received a big break following Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng’s withdrawal.

Alex Eala gets direct entry into Stuttgart Open main draw

“Alexandra Eala replaces [Qinwen] Zheng in the main draw,” the event said on X, previously known as Twitter.

“Unfortunately, Qinwen has to withdraw due to injury, but fans can now look forward to seeing Alexandra step in.

“We wish Qinwen a speedy recovery and hope to see her back on the court in Stuttgart very soon!”

Eala’s move into the main draw means she’ll avoid qualifying matches and will instead be preparing for a field that includes Mirra Andreeva, Jasmine Paolini and defending champion Jelena Ostapenko.

This direct entry not only saves her energy but also sets up an opportunity to test herself against some of the top clay-court players in the women’s game.

The projected top seeds in Stuttgart

Ostapenko, who won Roland-Garros in 2017, is still seen as one of the toughest matchups on clay despite being outside the top 20 rankings. Her game has always translated well onto slower surfaces.

The pair have faced each other twice before on Tour. Both times Eala came away with straight-set victories – first at last year’s Miami Open, then again three months later at Eastbourne.

Looking back at the first-ever Stuttgart Open

The inaugural WTA Stuttgart event was played in 1978 on indoor carpet courts at the Tennis Sporthalle Filderstadt in West Germany.

Tracy Austin became the tournament’s first champion, beating Betty Stöve 6–3, 6–3 in the final.

Remarkably, she claimed her maiden WTA title at just 15 years old. Alongside her prize money, she received a red Porsche 928 for her efforts.

Speaking to The Times in 2021, Austin revealed that she ended up giving the car to her mother since she wasn’t old enough to drive it herself.

“Along with the prize money, I was given a red Porsche 928 but I couldn’t drive it because I was too young for a licence,” Austin said. “I ended up giving it to my mum.”

Austin went on to win four consecutive Stuttgart titles before Martina Navratilova finally beat her in the 1982 final. Navratilova had lost two previous finals to Austin but claimed this one 6-3, 6-3.

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