THE FILIPINA teen tennis sensation will begin her US Open Juniors campaign already in the round of 32 (second round), after getting a ‘bye’ in the first round.
A ‘bye’ is an automatic advancement of players to the next round without having to face any opponent. This outright berth is often given to the top-seeded players of a tournament.
The 16-year-old is seeded second in this Grand Slam, trailing Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva of Andorra, who is also the Juniors World No. 1.
Alex Eala not the only one to earn a bye
The top 16 of the current roster were all granted a bye from the round of 48.
For her first bout, Eala awaits the winner between Pimrada Jattavapornvanit of Thailand and Charlotte Owensby of the United States.
In doubles, she's partnered with Belgium’s Hanne Vandewinkel. The pair is sixth-seeded in the lineup and also earned a bye in the first round.
Eala, Juniors World No. 2, is looking to bag her third Grand Slam title in the doubles, and first in the singles.
In 2020, she won the Australian Open Girls’ Doubles title with Indonesian Priska Nugroho, and just last June she added another Grand Slam under her belt, ruling the French Open Girls’ Doubles with Oksana Selekhmeteva of Russia.
The US Open Juniors Tournament is slated to run on September 7 to 12 (Philippine time), in New York City.
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