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Tough draw for Alex Eala at DC Open

Sports

Tough draw for Alex Eala at DC Open

By Kristel Satumbaga-Villar

At A Glance

Apart from Zheng, other prominent athletes that Eala could face deeper in the tournament world No. 2 Elina Svitolina, seventh seed Canadian of Filipino descent Leylah Fernandez, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and eighth seed Emma Navarro.

Alex Eala. (File Photo/ AP)

Alex Eala. (File Photo/ AP)

Alex Eala braces for another tough test to kick off her North American hard-court swing after being drawn in the bottom half of the bracket at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington DC, United States this week.

The world No. 29 Eala is competing unseeded in the WTA 500 event and is scheduled to face Chinese wildcard Zheng Qinwen in the opening round.

Though a wildcard entry, the 23-year-old Zheng packs an experience that includes ranking as high as No. 4 and making into the finals of the 2024 Australian Open, and winning the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal.

She also beat then 18-year-old Eala in their lone meeting at the semifinals of the 2022 Hangzhou Games before eventually winning the gold.

An elbow surgery, however, sidelined her in the second half of last year and is slowly making a return this year.

Apart from Zheng, other prominent athletes that Eala could face deeper in the tournament world No. 2 Elina Svitolina, seventh seed Canadian of Filipino descent Leylah Fernandez, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and eighth seed Emma Navarro.

The DC Open is just the first of Eala’s tournaments leading to the US Open slated late next month.

Related Tags

Alex Eala DC Open WTA

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