Alex Eala seeded 6th in Catalonia Open

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Alex Eala eyes a huge bounce back in the Catalonia Open after exiting the Madrid Open following a second-round loss to world No. 2 Iga Swiatek

MANILA, Philippines – A second-round exit in the Madrid Open does not mean Alex Eala will be taking a respite to lick her wounds.

The 19-year-old Filipina has set her sights on the WTA 125 Catalonia Open which is scheduled to begin on Monday, April 28, at the Vic Tennis Club in Vic, Osona, Spain.

Eala, who exited the Madrid Open following a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 loss to world No. 2 Iga Swiatek on Friday, April 25, aims a huge bounce back next week but will be facing stiff opposition in Catalonia.

Currently ranked 72nd in the world, Eala is seeded sixth in the $115,000 event.

Eala will be facing a field that includes a former Grand Slam runner-up, a former Grand Slam champion, and a former world doubles No. 1.

The top seed in the tournament is world No. 25 Leylah Fernandez of Canada, a 22-year-old born to an Ecuadorian father and a Filipino-Canadian mother who gained prominence when she reached the finals of the 2021 US Open as an unseeded player.

Similar to Eala’s historic run in the Miami Open in March, Fernandez captured the attention of the tennis world when she downed three Grand Slam champions — Japan’s Naomi Osaka, Germany’s Angelique Kerber and Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka — to advance to the finals before losing to Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu.

Another Canadian, Bianca Andreescu, will also be contending for the title in Catalonia. Andreescu became the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam when she — then just 19 — scored a shocking straight-sets triumph over the legendary Serena Williams in the 2019 US Open finals.

Out to defend her title is last year’s champion, Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic, who is the current No. 1 doubles player in the world. The 28-year-old Siniakova, who was ranked 27th in the world in singles in 2024, has won all four Grand Slams in doubles and has collected a total of 10 Grand Slam doubles crowns. The Czech defeated Eala in straight sets in the opening round of the 2024 Wuhan Open.

Two other prominent names who made a deep run in last year’s Catalonia Open will be back to try to lift the title this time around. Seeded second this year is Mayar Sherif, the world No. 50 Egyptian who fell in three tight sets to Siniakova in the finals last year. Third seed Camila Osorio Serrano of Colombia, who lost in last year’s semifinals to Siniakova, looks for a better result this year.

Eala seeks to get more matches on the clay courts of Catalonia as she prepares for two big tournaments this May.

The Filipina teen standout is set to join the Italian Open in Rome from May 6 to 18 then will then make history as the first Filipina to play in the main draw of a Grand Slam event when she sees action in the French Open, which is slated to start on May 25. – Rappler.com

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