Washington, July 29 -- China's Zheng Qinwen was knocked out in the first round of the WTA 500 Washington Open, falling 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 to Alexandra Eala of the Philippines, while compatriot Wang Xinyu advanced with a 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory over American qualifier Julietta Pareja.
The 21-year-old Eala, currently ranked 28th in the world, had previously lost to Zheng in the semifinals of the 2023 Asian Games.
Eala broke Zheng's serve in the opening game on Tuesday, but the Chinese star responded with two breaks of her own to take the first set 6-4.
The second set remained tight at 4-4 before Eala held serve and secured a decisive break to level the match.
In the decider, Eala took control by breaking Zheng in her first two service games. Alth...