Elena Rybakina takes on Alexandra Eala in the third round of the Italian Open on Sunday. Eala is finally finding her footing in Rome after a difficult start to the clay-court swing. But Rybakina will present the youngster with her toughest test yet. The world No. 2 has made a strong start to the Italian Open and will be eager to make a deep run at the tournament, especially after Aryna Sabalenka’s early exit.
Elena Rybakina vs Alexandra Eala Match Details
Date: May 10, 2026
Tournament: Italian Open 2026
Round: Third Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
Surface: Outdoor Clay
Category: WTA 1000
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, TSN
Rybakina vs Eala Head-to-Head Record
This will be the first meeting between Rybakina and Eala on the WTA Tour. The former breezed into the third round with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Maria Sakkari. She has looked solid so far on clay, winning 7 of her 8 matches.
Rybakina goes into this match with a 28-6 win-loss record in 2026. She has won two titles and continues to be dominant on her serve, with 209 aces and a 82% win percentage on serve.
Eala is still finding her footing on clay, but has shown promising signs in Rome with wins over Magdalena Fręch and Wang Xinyu.
The 20-year-old needed three sets to win her first-round match, and then managed to defeat the 31st seed in straight sets. She converted 7 of her 11 break-point opportunities in her second-round match, and also fired a number of confident winners from difficult angles.
Rybakina vs Eala Prediction and Pick
Eala’s confidence is growing, and she already has a number of notable wins over top-10 players with an overall win-loss record of 4-3. Rybakina was also beaten by Anastasia Potapova in straight sets in Madrid, which will further give Eala some confidence in her bid to pull off an upset.
But the world No. 2 is one of the most dominant players on clay, and already has a title to her name on red dirt this year.
Eala has strong return numbers, but Rybakina is one of the top servers on the WTA Tour. Her massive serve and flat groundstrokes have been key to her success on clay, and she does not make too many errors either.
MORE: After Frustrated Display and MTO, Aryna Sabalenka Details What Troubled Her During Italian Open Loss
Both these players like to play aggressive tennis, and this match could well come down to which player can adopt that high-risk approach while maintaining efficiency. We believe that Rybakina’s overall composure and experience at the top level will help her defeat Eala on Sunday.
Pick – Rybakina in straight sets.
