AND REDEMPTION BEGINS for Alexandra “Alex” Eala after a series of setbacks, clashing against French ace Diane Parry for the first time ever in Round 1 of the WTA 500 Ningbo Open in China.
Another tour, another chance for the 21-year-old Filipina pride set tentatively at noon on Monday (Manila time) in a bid to regain her groove and steady the ship from three straight misses as a heavy favorite.
Ms. Eala, one of the world’s most popular and top players at WTA No. 19, bowed to three opponents who were at least 60 rungs below her in the pro circuit that should serve as enough wake-up call in finally taking care of business against Ms. Parry.
As the No. 3 seed, Ms. Eala folded to No. 117 Tatiana Prozorova of Russia in the WTA 500 Singapore Open Round of 16 then to world No. 217 Han Shi of China in the first round of the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open.
Ms. Eala, as the No. 1 seed in the 20th Asian Games in Japan without Asia’s top guns, also fell short from her best shot at gold after a semifinal loss to No. 91 Xiyu Wang of China to settle for another bronze medal for the second straight edition.
In that tourney, Ms. Eala sacrificed missing the WTA 1000 China Open in Beijing for missed ranking points and a chance at making one last push for the WTA Finals featuring the Top 8 players in the world on Nov. 8 to 15 in Indian Wells.
In Ningbo, Ms. Parry is not far away in the rankings at No. 32, making it an even tougher order for the lefty bet who gained a vote of confidence and support from the Filipinos led by the Philippine Tennis Association amid her rare struggle.
The 24-year-old Ms. Parry, who’s a resident Grand Slam campaigner, is also coming off a championship in the WTA 500 Monterrey Open as part of the North American swing.
Ms. Eala likewise netted one title in that swing, winning the WTA 500 Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington for her first-ever WTA Tour title that snowballed to a third-round finish in the US Open, where she was seeded No. 29 as the highest ever for Philippine tennis.
That run catapulted Ms. Eala to a WTA distinction as the “Star of the Swing” for the North American hardcourt leg after also winning the same honor for the grass-court season in Europe marked by a fourth-round finish in Wimbledon and a 125 title in Birmingham.
But it was a tale of day and night for Ms. Eala upon her transition to the Asian swing, which she’s hoping to finally turn round in Ningbo, where a bevy of top guns await led by the returning world No. 1 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
Ms. Rybakina, the reigning Ningbo champion, missed the Wuhan Open to recover from a foot injury she suffered in a stunning early exit in Beijing.
A win by Ms. Eala against Ms. Parry would arrange a duel against Ningbo No. 6 seed Diana Shnaider of Russia, who received a first-round bye as the world No. 13. — John Bryan Ulanday