By MARK REY MONTEJO
Fully-motivated and well-rested, Alex Eala hopes to conjure the magic she produced that put the enchanting Dubai under her spell when she begins her “Sunshine Swing” against a familiar foe.
More than two weeks removed since her stellar showing in the ultra-modern city of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, Eala is the sentimental favorite against Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska in the second round of the WTA 1000 Indian Wells Open (BNP Paribas) in California Saturday, March 7 (Philippine time).
Making her first-ever appearance at the “Fifth Grand Slam” which features almost all the top-ranked players, the No. 31 seed Eala aims to start her campaign on a high note when she faces unseeded Yastremska.
The Ukrainian is the very player she beat, 6-1, 6-2, in the Lexus Eastbourne Open quarterfinals in Great Britain last June.
With Filipinos in California and nearby cities expected to come in droves – all eager to chant her name, and of course the ‘Philippines,” Eala is expected to come out strong and go for an encore.
Eala, 20, who is also in her maiden WTA 1000 event as a seeded player, is one of the high-ranking bets that received an early bye to proceed in Round of 64, while the 25-year-old Yastremska needed to beat Chinese veteran Zhang Shuai. 6-3, 6-2, in Round of 128 to advanve.
A win against Yastremska would pave the way for a much-awaited rematch between Eala and world No. 4 American Coco Gauff – that is if the American sensation prevails over Uzbek Kamilla Rakhimova in their own Round of 64 duel.
The last time Eala faced Gauff, who are also known to be friends off the court, was in the quarters of the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships in the UAE, where the two-time Grand Slam winner cruised into a 6-0, 6-2 triumph.
For sure, that defeat is not yet lost on Eala’s mind, so many are expecting she will use that as an added fuel to get a shot at redemption.
In Dubai, Eala became an instant “rock star” after her stunning Last 16 victory over fiery Italian and No. 8 Jasmine Paolini.
“My preparations are built around myself, so I’m focusing a lot more on my game, as opposed to who it’s gonna be [my next opponent], and I think that’s the best way to approach it,” Eala said.
“Because at the end of the day, what I can control is what I do and how I approach things,” she added.
Among the big stars are in the event are newly-engaged and world No. 1 Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, No. 3 Kazakh Elena Rybakina, No. 5 American Jessica Pegula, and No. 8 Russian wunderkind Mirra Andreeva, who reigned supreme last year after beating Sabalenka in the finals.
The competition, which has a hefty $9,415,725 (P542,920,119) prize pool, runs from March 5 to 16.
Meantime, Eala reunites with American pal Iva Jovic in the doubles event as the two emerging stars set for a first-round clash against hometown bet Hailey Baptiste and Ostapenko.
Eala and Jovic had previously teamed up in the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand early this year. The charming duo dazzled and reached the semis but fell short against Chinese bets Yifan Xu and Zhaoxuan Yang, 5-7, 3-6.
