IT IS go time for Alexandra “Alex” Eala after a short break at home, revving up for her transition to the hard-court swing with the US Open as the highlight next month.
The 21-year-old Filipina pride left the country on Monday following a homecoming marked by a series of fan meet events to prepare for her first US buildup in the Mubadala DC Open in Washington on July 27 to Aug. 2.
Ms. Eala will play in both the singles and doubles of the WTA 500-level tourney, reuniting with American legend Venus Williams in the doubles.
The pairing was described by the WTA and the Mubadala as “Dream Team” with Ms. Eala now one of the global tennis’ darlings and Ms. Williams being one of the icons of the game with 21 Grand Slam titles, including 14 in doubles and four Olympic gold medals.
Ms. Eala and the 46-year-old Ms. Williams reached the Last 8 of Bad Homburg Open in Germany last month as part of her stellar grass run marked by a title in Birmingham and historic Round of 16 finish in Wimbledon.
Ms. Eala’s prominence among the social media-savvy Filipinos and the growing popularity worldwide earned her the “Star of the Swing” for the grass-court season with 89% of votes as per the WTA online poll. She bested Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova (7%) and runner-up Karolina Muchova (3%), both from Czechia.
She returned home after that amazing campaign highlighted by a welcome dinner at the Malacañan Palace hosted by no less than President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., who bestowed her with a presidential citation.
After Mubadala, Ms. Eala will also play in National Bank Open on Aug. 2 to 13 in Toronto and the Cincinnati Open on Aug. 13 to 23 back in the US, leading up to the US Open on Aug. 30 to Sept. 13 in Flushing Meadows, New York.
As of now, Ms. Eala is at No. 29 in the latest WTA rankings, dropping one spot from a career-best No. 28 due to a week-long break.
On the heels of a magical Wimbledon run, hopes are high for Ms. Eala to surpass her second-round campaign last year in the US Open as the first Filipina to win a Grand Slam main draw match ever. — John Bryan Ulanday
