
Join Chelsea or wait for 'dream' Liverpool job? Alonso's big dilemma
Xabi Alonso faces a tough choice between Chelsea and his dream job at Liverpool.
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images
Elena Rybakina has booked her place in the Italian Open quarter-finals, seeing off Alexandra Eala in straight sets.
Still, the match wasnât without its challenges. The world number two had to dig deep against an opponent who didnât back down easily.
Most didnât give the 20-year-old much of a chance before play started, especially considering her serve was up against one of the best in the game.
Eala showed plenty of resolve and was only broken three times while managing to break Rybakina once herself.
Afterwards, Rybakina shared her thoughts on what was her first encounter with Eala.
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
With the backing she has, every opponent will take note of what itâs like to play against one of the Philippinesâ standout talents.
And sheâs exactly the type of player who wonât give anything away easily, always making sure her fans have something to cheer about. She didnât need to be asked twice if she was happy to get through without too much trouble.
She said: âItâs nice to win in straight sets and itâs better than the previous tournament and today was tough conditions. It was raining before, so it was very slow and the balls were heavy, but Iâm happy that I managed to win.
âWe played with Alex for the first time against each other and itâs always challenging to play against a lefty, but overall Iâm happy with everything I did on the court.â
Eala also had her performance against Rybakina rated by a former WTA player.
Even though her singles run ended against Rybakina, Eala isnât done in Rome just yet.
Sheâs set to play doubles with Hailey Baptiste, who has been in strong form lately. It wasnât a pairing many expected to see in the main draw, but they made it in as alternates following a late withdrawal from another team.
Baptiste is already out of the singles draw as well, so both players will welcome the extra court time before heading to Roland Garros.
The American has also caught attention recently by defeating Aryna Sabalenka on her way to the Madrid Open semi-finals. With both players out of singles, their partnership could be one to watch as they look for more clay-court preparation ahead of Roland Garros.
Read more:

Xabi Alonso faces a tough choice between Chelsea and his dream job at Liverpool.
See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.