By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala faces a tight schedule in her North American hard-court swing after her final match against Jessica Pegula at the rain-delayed Mubadala DC Open in Washington D.C. was rescheduled to Tuesday midnight, Aug. 4 (Philippine time).
Eala is scheduled to compete at the National Bank Open in Toronto, Canada with the qualification round already ongoing.
The 21-year-old Filipina is seeded 25th in the WTA 1000 event, a tournament rated just one rung below the Grand Slams.
As of press time, Eala has received a first-round bye and is scheduled to open her campaign in the second round on Wednesday night, Aug. 5 (Thursday morning, Aug. 6, PH time), according to the tournament’s initial schedule.
The tight turnaround would give the Filipina barely more than 24 hours between the conclusion of the Washington final and her opening match in Toronto, leaving little time for recovery and travel.
Despite the demanding schedule ahead, Eala remains locked in on her quest for a breakthrough WTA 500 crown in Washington, D.C., where she is making only the second final appearance of her career.
Eala, who trailed Pegula 4-6, 1-2 when rain halted play, hopes to capitalize on the unexpected layoff as she tries to mount a comeback when the final resumes.
Eala’s fans are also hopeful.
It can be recalled that Eala has scored several enthralling comeback wins – her latest was against dethroned champion Leylah Fernandez.
She rallied from a 1-5 hole in the second set to complete a 6-2, 7-6 (1) win over Fernandez and booked a seat in the quarterfinals.
She also bucked an opening set loss to beat Asian Games tormentor and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, 4-6, 6-4, 6-, in the opening round of the event.
Even during her historic run in the Miami Open last year, Eala rallied from a 1-3 deficit in her semis duel with Pegura in the second set to win 7-5. Eala, however, dropped the third set.
