Alex Eala braces for hard court transition ahead of US Open

From clay to grass, Ms. Eala is bracing for a transition to the hard court as part of her long preparations for the US Open set on Aug. 24 to Sept. 7 in New York.

Ms. Eala, who’s on a beach vacation now according to her latest social media post, will first test her mettle in the National Bank Open in Canada on July 26 to Aug. 7 after back-to-back stints in the French Open and Wimbledon.

The National Bank Open, a WTA-1000 level tourney, has released the main draw entries this week including the WTA No. 56 Ms. Eala.

Also in the cast are heavyweights Aryna Sabalenka of Russia, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula of the United States, Iga Swiatek of Poland and Jasmine Paolini of Italy, who are the Top 5 WTA players now.

Ms. Eala, 20, is coming off a commendable grass campaign in England marked by a historic finals appearance in the Lexus Eastbourne Open, where she just fell short to Australia’s Maya Joint, 4-6, 6-2, 6(10)-7.

That’s the first WTA final appearance ever for any player from the Philippines.

Ms. Eala also had her main draw debut in the Wimbledon but was eliminated in Round 1 of both the ladies’ singles and doubles tournaments.

Still, her gallant stand in England catapulted her to a new career-best ranking of No. 56 with hopes of barging into the Top 50 heading into the US Open, where she once ruled as the first Filipina junior Grand Slam champion in 2022.

Aside from Wimbledon, Ms. Eala also vied for the first time in the main draw of the French Open last summer but exited early as well in Round 1 of the singles and Round 2 of the doubles.

With lessons learned and experiences taken to heart, she’s hoping for a different result in the US Open. — John Bryan Ulanday