AFTER earning a spot in the main draw of the 2025 Eastbourne Open, Alex Eala faces another stern test from Italian Lucia Bronzetti, ranked No. 61 in the world, on Monday night (6 p.m., Manila time).
The 20-year-old Filipina, currently ranked No. 74 in the world, pulled off a gritty win over Hailey Baptiste, 6–7, 7–6, 6–1, following a straight-sets victory against Zeynep Sonmez, 6–1, 6–3, to make it past the qualifiers.
READ Eala stuns world No. 56 Baptiste, reaches main draw
Bronzetti, for her part, received direct entry to the WTA 250 tournament. In her most recent outing, she suffered a first-round exit at the Nottingham Open, losing to Antonia Ruzic, 0–6, 4–6.
This will be the first-ever meeting between Eala and Bronzetti on the professional tour.
The match also marks Eala’s fourth grass-court tournament of the season, following her campaigns at the Birmingham Classic, Ilkley Open, and Nottingham Open.
She is expected to make her Wimbledon debut later this month, having been included in the main draw entry list of the grand slam.
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