BACK in a special place where she once made history as a junior champion three years ago, Alex Eala makes her pro debut at the US Open in Flushing Meadows looking to make the same impact despite the great odds.
The Filipina ranked No. 75 in the world takes on Denmark’s Clara Tauson, the world No. 14, on Monday midnight (Manila time) at the Grandstand of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.
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This will be the first career meeting between Eala and Tauson and it's scheduled not to start before 12:10 a.m., Monday midnight in Manila.
Eala, 20, carved her name into Philippine tennis history in 2022 when she captured the US Open girls’ singles crown — the country’s first-ever grand slam title at any level.
Now, she steps back onto the same stage, this time as a pro looking to restart a dream year after a two-week break to recover from a shoulder injury.
Her last outing came in late July at the Omnium Banque Nationale Présenté par Rogers in Montreal, where she bowed out in the round of 128 to Marketa Vondrousova, 6-3, 1-6, 2-6.
That match marked her first hard-court appearance of the season before she was forced to withdraw from subsequent tournaments due to injury.
Tauson, meanwhile, is enjoying a run of good form.
She is coming off a round-of-32 exit at the Cincinnati Open last August 18, falling to Veronika Kudermetova, 6-3, 6-7, 4-6.
Before that, the 22-year-old Dane surged up the rankings after a semifinal run at the Canadian Open, highlighted by upsets over Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys before losing to Naomi Osaka, 2-6, 6-7.
Interestingly, both Swiatek and Keys were also victims of Eala during her breakthrough Miami Open run in March, which propelled her into the Top 100.
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