Alexandra Eala has bowed out of the Ningbo Open in round two following defeat to Diana Shnaider.

Eala has made a significant impact in her career so far despite being only 21 years old, but she failed to continue that momentum in Ningbo. After knocking out Diane Parry in round one, the WTA superstar was beaten 7-5, 6-4 by Shnaider.

Of course, there is no shame in losing to fellow rising star Shnaider, who is the sixth seed at the Ningbo Open. But Eala may just be disappointed by one aspect of her performance in particular, which she could work hard on to increase her chances of success going forward.

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Alexandra Eala must improve in shorter rallies after Ningbo Open exit

Eala was knocked out by Shnaider after one hour and 55 minutes, during which the pair played a variation of rallies. And as evidenced by how they managed during such rallies, it has become clear that the Filipina can improve in the shorter rallies.

Analysing the match by rally length, Eala actually outperformed Shnaider in the longer battles. She won 12/21 of the rallies lasting 9-19 shots, which translates to 57.1%. But that figure dropped to 36/77 (46.8%) for rallies comprising 0-4 shots, and fell even further to 24/57 (42.1%) for rallies of 5-8 shots.

In her brief career so far, the popular figure has really impressed in point construction and grinding down her opponents, many of whom have been ranked above her. But her vulnerability in short rallies has come to the fore once more, with her underpowered serve arguably the main reason behind that shortcoming. Such a serve often allows her opponents to seize early control of the point.

Her game has resulted in many huge results in her exciting career so far, but Eala may just find herself struggling against the very top players on a consistent basis if she fails to address this area. But fortunately there is plenty of time to find a solution, particularly given that her 2026 season will end soon.

However, while Eala won’t be making an appearance at the WTA Finals, she still has plenty to play for before closing the curtain on her current campaign. She is on the entry list for Tokyo later this month, and is also expected to play in Hong Kong in early November.

Of course, Shnaider also deserves big credit for her display against Eala in Ningbo. She remained focused throughout the victory, which has earned her a quarterfinal meeting with fourth seed Iva Jovic. Should the Russian make it past the American, she could meet top seed and world number one Elena Rybakina in the semifinals in China.