THE official draws for the 2025 Italian Open are out, and Filipina teen Alex Eala has found herself in the same quarter as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
In only her second WTA 1000 tournament on clay, Eala — currently ranked No. 70 in the world — is placed in the first quarter of the women’s singles draw where she will open her campaign against world No. 27 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in the round of 128.
A win could set up a second-round clash with 14th seed and world No. 15 Daria Kasatkina of Australia. There’s also a potential round-of-32 matchup against Canadian-Filipino Leylah Fernandez.
READ Alex Eala breaks into world's Top 70 ahead of Italian Open
The Italian Open will run from May 6 to 18, 2025.
This marks Sabalenka’s first appearance at the Italian Open as the world’s top-ranked player. Last year, she finished runner-up after falling to reigning champion Iga Swiatek in the final.
However, Sabalenka is entering Rome with plenty of momentum, having just won the Mutua Madrid Open, where she defeated World No. 3 Coco Gauff in the finals.
Sabalenka and Swiatek are seeded first and second, respectively, with both receiving first-round byes. Other notable names in the draw are Gauff and world No. 4 Jessica Pegula.
Eala is aiming for redemption following her recent loss to world No. 2 Swiatek at the Mutua Madrid Open two weeks ago. She later withdrew from the WTA 125 Catalonia event to prioritize rest and recovery ahead of her Rome campaign.
The 19-year-old is also hoping to recapture the form she showed at the Miami Open, where she stunned top-tier opponents, including Swiatek and Madison Keys.
Swiatek, however, managed to get even in their Madrid clash, where she came back from one set and a break down against Eala.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
