Alex Eala draws Zheng Qinwen in DC Open first-round singles, will not compete in doubles

Alexandra “Alex” Eala has drawn reigning Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen of China in the first round of the Washington DC Open singles tournament.

The draw was held on Sunday.

Zheng, 23, is currently ranked world No. 123 and reached a career-high ranking of No. 4 in June 2024. She has won five WTA singles titles.

She also reached the final of the 2024 Australian Open, where she lost to Aryna Sabalenka, 6-3, 6-2.

In her most recent tournaments, Zheng reached the quarterfinals of the Athens Open, exited in the first round of Wimbledon, and advanced to the second round of the Bad Homburg Open.

The DC Open marks Eala's return to competition following her historic Wimbledon campaign, where she reached the Round of 16.

Eala, however, will not compete in the doubles event. She was initially set to partner seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams, but Williams will instead team up with Diana Shnaider.

The DC Open will run from July 27 to August 2.

Alex Eala's Season recap (singles)

Grass-court swing

Wimbledon (Grand Slam) — Round of 16

Bad Homburg Open (WTA 500) — Round of 32

Berlin Tennis Open (WTA 500) — Semifinals

HSBC Championships (WTA 500) — Round of 16

Birmingham Open (WTA 125) — Champion

Clay-court swing

French Open (Grand Slam) — Round of 128

Italian Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 32

Madrid Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 64

Stuttgart Open (WTA 500) — Round of 32

Linz Open (WTA 500) — Round of 16

Sunshine Swing

Miami Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 16

Indian Wells Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 16

Middle East Swing

Dubai Tennis Championships (WTA 1000) — Quarterfinals

Qatar Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 64

Abu Dhabi Open (WTA 500) — Quarterfinals

Philippine Women’s Open (WTA 125) — Quarterfinals

Australian Swing

Australian Open (Grand Slam) — Round of 128

ASB Classic (WTA 250) — Semifinals

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