Alex Eala eyes better finish in WTA 125 clay meet

Tennis ace Alex Eala returns to clay action when she guns for a better finish in the WTA 125 Catalonia Open slated April 27 to May 3.

The 20-year-old Eala targets her second WTA 125 crown in the tournament that features 32 players headlined by world No. 25 Filipina-Canadian Leylah Fernandez and two-time singles Grand Slam winner Czech Barbora Krejčíková.

Apart from Fernandez and Krejčíková, also competing are reigning champion Dalma Galfi of Hungary, Laura Siegemund of Germany, Beatriz Maia of Brazil, Ashlyn Krueger of the US, and Xinyu Wang of China, who defeated Eala, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4, at the WTA 250 ASB Classic semifinal in Auckland New Zealand earlier this year.

Official draw will be posted soon, but Eala won’t participate in the doubles event of the said tourney.

It would be the first appearance for Eala in a Challenger event since the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center where she suffered a quarters loss to eventual champion Colombian Camila Osorio last January.

Eala, Sonmez eye quarters ticket at Madrid Open doubles

Eala, currently No. 44 in the world rankings, recently concluded her campaign in the WTA 1000 Mutua Madrid Open second round after yielding to No. 21 Belgian Elise Mertens, 2-6, 1-6.

But she and her Turkish partner Zeynep Sonmez are up for a daunting task in Round of 16 when they challenge Grand Slam winners Siniakova and American Taylor Townsend for a quarters ticket in the doubles later Saturday.

Eala is also set to compete in the WTA 125 Parma Ladies Open and the prestigious WTA 1000 Italian Open (BNL d’Italia) also scheduled next month.

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