By MARK REY MONTEJO
Filipina star Alex Eala is now heading to West with sky-high confidence after an impressive showing in the ‘East swing’ – Dubai in particular.
There, Eala’s biggest mission is the WTA 1000 Miami Open – an event that catapulted her to stardom after slaying several giants that included Grand Slam winners Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, American Madison Keys, and Polish Iga Swiatek.
Her giant-killing spree was celebrated by Filipinos all over the world as she became the first PH-born player to beat three Top 10 players since the WTA rankings began in 1975.
According to the competition’s website, Eala will take part in the stacked cast that features Top 74 players in the women’s list, headlined by world No. 1 and reigning champion Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka.
Also competing are Swiatek, No. 3 Kazakh Elena Rybakina, and Americans No. 4 Coco Gauff, No. 5 Jessica Pegula, No. 6 Amanda Anisimova, No. 7 Russian Mirra Andreeva, and No. 8 Italian Jasmine Paolini, to name a few.
Last year, then unbeknownst Eala entered the meet unseeded and ranked No. 140, before making her way to the main draw where her meteoric rise began.
She reached the semifinal but was halted by Pegula, who eventually stumbled to Sabalenka in the finals. But Eala’s feat catapulted her rankings to 75th.
The articulate 5-foot-9 lefty would have her chance to go for another “Cinderella run” on the hard courts of South Florida after her superb campaign in the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships.
Write to RV C. Lachica
