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Alex Eala returns to action in Guadalajara tourney

Sports

Alex Eala returns to action in Guadalajara tourney

By Kristel Satumbaga-Villar

At A Glance

The 20-year-old Filipina tennis sensation faces a familiar rival in Arianne Hartono of the Netherlands in the first round of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA125) tournament.

Alex Eala returns to action when she competes in the Guadalajara 125 Open in Mexico on Wednesday, Sept. 3 (Philippine time).

The 20-year-old Filipina tennis sensation faces a familiar rival in Arianne Hartono of the Netherlands in the first round of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA125) tournament.

Seeded second in the tournament, Eala hopes to reaffirm her mastery over Hartono after beating the 29-year-old Dutch in all their three previous meetings.

They first clashed in the semifinals of the Roehampton 2 in Great Britain in 2023, with Eala prevailing in three sets.

The next two matchups happened in 2025 -- first at the Canberra 125 in Australia where Eala swept the match in the Round of 16, then in the Bengaluru tournament in India where the Filipina also triumphed in straight sets.

This would be Eala’s first tournament after finishing in the second round of the US Open last week. Though she made a quick exit in her last Grand Slam tournament of the season, she is bringing a morale-boosting experience of having beaten world No. 14 Clara Tauson in the opening round.

She is currently ranked No. 75.

Hartono, for her part, also competed in the US Open, but the world No. 187 player failed to make it to the main draw round after losing her third qualifying match.

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