Eala slides in WTA ranking to No. 69 ahead of Canada event

FILIPINA tennis sensation Alexandra “Alex” Eala slipped in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings due to inactivity ahead of her transition to the hard court in North America.

In the middle of a month-long break from her European clay and grass campaigns, Ms. Eala tripped from a career-best ranking of No. 56 to No. 69 as per the updated WTA list on Tuesday before her anticipated stint in Canada and the United States this weekend.

The 20-year-old Ms. Eala, who also had a homecoming last week here in Manila and supported the fight of fellow Pinoy pride Manny Pacquiao via online streaming as per her social media post, will play in the National Bank Open in Montreal, Canada on July 26 to Aug. 7.

The National Bank Open, a WTA-1000 level tourney, will feature the top-ranked players today in Aryna Sabalenka of Russia, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula of the United States, Iga Swiatek of Poland and Jasmine Paolini of Italy among the few.

This will serve as one of her preparations for another Grand Slam stint in the US Open set on Aug. 24 to Sept. 7 in New York.

This will be Ms. Eala’s third straight Grand Slam main draw stint with hopes of finally breaking through after foiled attempts in the French Open and Wimbledon with similar first-round exits.

“I hope to play well there and of course try to get my first Grand Slam win,” said Ms. Eala during her media availability last week at the Globe Tower in BGC.

Ms. Eala became eligible for direct entries in all of the Grand Slam and WTA-1000 level tourneys, like the National Bank Open, by barging into the Top 100 of the WTA rankings following a historic semifinal stint in the Miami Open last summer.

Last month in England, Ms. Eala surpassed that feat by being the first Filipina WTA finalist ever in the Eastbourne Open in England.

And she’s just getting started with campaigns in the cities of Cincinnati and Monterey before going closer to home in China, Hong Kong and other Asian stops. — John Bryan Ulanday