WTA Tour to make major rule change that Alex Eala will love

Alex Eala's sharp rise to stardom has seen her contend with a relentless schedule, but that could be about to change.

At the time of writing, Eala has played more matches (58) than any other player on the WTA Tour in 2026, five more than world number three Jessica Pegula.

The Filipina has posted 38 wins and 20 defeats during that period, most recently losing to Amanda Anisimova in the last 32 of the Cincinnati Open on Monday night.

An appearance at the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati was the 18th tournament she's featured at this year, with such a relentless schedule starting to catch up with her.

Following her fourth-round defeat to Belinda Bencic at the Canadian Open on August 10, Eala admitted that she felt "tired and down" after displaying lethargy in her straight-sets defeat to the Swiss.

"I think I've played really well. I've gotten through so many obstacles," the 21-year-old said. "Of course, right now, there's that initial kind of just a little tired and down from the match. But I think, I mean, I'm healthy, which is something I'm super grateful for."

Eala, who recorded her first WTA singles title at the Washington Open on August 3, now has a much-needed two-week break before the US Open starts on August 30.

A rest from her physically and mentally demanding tournament schedule is rare for the Filipino prodigy, but one potential rule change could benefit her and several other players.

WTA Tour could reduce the number of tournaments

A common complaint from players on the WTA Tour has been the number of tournaments they're expected to play, mostly because of mandatory WTA 500 and WTA 1000 events.

That could be altered if the Cincinnati Open tournament director, Bob Moran, is to be believed.

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Moran, who is also on the WTA Tour Architecture Council, said: “When we came out with the circuit structure a couple of years ago, it was trying to get players to play more 1000s and 500s.

“They have to play 1000s, but more of the 500s, and rules were put into place to do that. And one of the things was they have to play six 500s. We heard from the players that that has been difficult. I’m very confident that at the US Open, you’ll see that number come down.”

World number four Coco Gauff is one tennis superstar who would welcome this change after previously complaining about the 'impossible' nature of tackling the demanding schedule.

"Obviously with the mandatory rules, I know why it’s in place with prize money and everything," Gauff said.

"Do I agree with them? I mean, I guess on a business point, it can kind of make sense. But on a player health standpoint, I don’t really agree with it,” said the American.

“I think I’ve basically played as much tennis as I possibly can, and it’s impossible to keep up with the six 500s. It’s just impossible. Especially now with more and more events being two weeks, it just doesn’t really make sense to strain your body."

Gauff believes the season should be shorter, and a solution to fix the tournament scheduling could be on the horizon, although it's unclear how many mandatory tournaments would be dropped from WTA 500s.