Eala leaves town to begin US Open build-up
MANILA, Philippines — It’s go time for Alex Eala after a short break at home, revving up for her transition to the hardcourt swing with the US Open as the highlight next month.
The 21-year-old Filipina pride left the country Monday following a homecoming marked by a series of fan meet events to prepare for her first US build-up in the Mubadala DC Open in Washington on July 27 to August 2.
Eala will play in both the singles and doubles of the 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 Eala now one of the global tennis’ darlings and Williams being one of the icons of the game with 21 Grand Slam titles, including 14 in doubles and four Olympic gold medals.
Eala and the 46-year-old Williams reached the Last Eight 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.
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 Macalañang Palace hosted by no less than President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who bestowed her with a presidential citation.
After Mubadala, Eala will also play in National Bank Open from August 1-13 in Toronto and the Cincinnati Open from August 8-23 back in the US, leading up to the US Open from August 30 to September 13 in Flushing Meadows, New York.
As of now, Eala is at No. 29 in the latest WTA rankings, dropping one sport from a career-best No. 28 due to a week-long break.
On the heels of a magical Wimbledon run, hopes are high for 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.
- Latest
- Trending
