Where to next, Alex? Eala up for busy schedule after PH break

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GLAMMED UP. Filipina tennis star Alex Eala during her meet and greet event hosted by Globe.

Alex Eala looks to pick up where she left off as she plunges back to work soon for the North American hardcourt swing that leads up to the US Open in New York in August

MANILA, Philippines – For someone who has accomplished so much this year, Alex Eala still wants more.

Eala looks to pick up where she left off as she plunges back to work soon for the North American hardcourt swing that leads up to the US Open in New York in August.

“There’s still a lot for me to achieve,” said Eala on Friday, July 18, during her meet and greet event hosted by one of her sponsors, Globe, at its office in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

“I think there are a lot of big tournaments lined up, not just the US Open, so I hope to play well there, and of course, try to get my first Grand Slam.”

Coming off a breakthrough stint in the Wimbledon Championships, where she became the first Filipino in the Open era to play in the main draw, Eala is back in the Philippines for a well-deserved break.

But she will shortly return to action starting with the Canadian Open, with the women’s tournament to be held in Montreal from July 26 to August 7.

American Jessica Pegula, who beat Eala in the semifinals of the Miami Open in March, is out to defend her crown, while two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff of the United States and newly crowned Wimbledon queen Iga Swiatek of Poland stand among the favorites.

Up next for Eala are the Cincinnati Open set from August 5 to 18 and the Monterrey Open slated from August 18 to 23 in Mexico before she heads to the Big Apple for the US Open, which is the fourth and last Grand Slam event of the year.

It will be the first US Open main draw appearance for Eala, who got the boot in the third and final round of the qualifiers last year.

A lot has changed for the 20-year-old since the previous US Open, with Eala counting Swiatek and other Grand Slam champions Madison Keys of the USA and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia among her victims.

Eala has also beaten other players in the current top 50, including No. 39 Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine and No. 48 Hailey Baptiste of the USA.

“I’ve been working on a lot of aspects of my game, and this year, it clicked for me. For example, my fitness — I’m more fit now, so I’m able to last longer on the court and I’m able to maintain the level for a longer period of time. That’s why I can sometimes hang with these top players,” said Eala.

“Little adjustments in everything, and this year, it sort of clicked.”

After the US Open, Eala goes back to Asia, with tournaments in China and Hong Kong scheduled.

The Southeast Asian Games to be hosted by Thailand in December could be another target for Eala, who won a women’s singles bronze in the 2021 edition in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Starting the year ranked No. 147 in the world, Eala sits at a career-high ranking of No. 56. – Rappler.com

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