RUSSIAN Tatiana Prozorova stands in the way of Alex Eala when she brings her impressive form to the region at the Singapore Open.
After earning a first-round bye, third-seed Eala advanced straight to the Round-of-16 of the inaugural WTA 500 event in Southeast Asia, where she will face the Russian world No. 180 - her lowest-ranked opponent in recent months.
The first meeting between the two young players is set on Thursday, not earlier than 6:30 p.m.
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Eala, 21, is now the highest seed in the WTA 500 tournament next to Mirra Andreeva after second seed Amanda Anisimova withdrew due to a wrist injury.
Lucky loser Viktoria Morvayova was granted entry into the main draw.
Eala is coming off a well-deserved two-week break. The world No. 18 last saw action on September 6 in the third round of the 2026 US Open, where she lost to pal Iva Jovic, 5-7, 6-3, 5-7.
Prozorova, a familiar figure to Filipino fans having played in the inaugural WTA 125 tournament in Manila, battled past Sofia Costoulas, 5-7, 7-6(2), 2-6, to book her spot in the second round opposite Eala.
Singapore marks Eala’s 24th tournament of the year as she nears the end of her 2026 campaign with the Asian Swing. She is also expected to take a break from the tour to attend to her national team duties at the Asian Games.
The Singapore Open runs until September 27.
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