ALEX Eala swings back to action in Osaka on Tuesday, opening her WTA 250 Kiinoshita Group Japan Open campaign against Czech juniors standout Tereza Valentova.
The Filipina trailblazer, ranked No. 54 in the WTA, is set to face the 18-year-old world No. 78 in the round of 32 in the fourth stop of her Asian swing.
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Their first career meeting is scheduled to start on 2:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Manila time.
Eala looks to bounce back from a first-round qualifying loss to world No. 91 Moyuka Uchijima, 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, at the Voyah Wuhan Open, a WTA 1000 tournament, last week.
She continues her search for a second WTA title after winning her maiden crown at the WTA 125 Guadalajara last September.
Similarly, Valentova is also coming off a qualifying-round exit in Wuhan, where she fell to Bianca Andreescu, 4-6, 2-6.
In Osaka, the Czech teen earned her main draw spot after surviving two qualifying rounds, outlasting Greet Minnen, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, and sweeping Alina Charaeva, 6-1, 6-2.
A decorated juniors player with multiple Girls Grand Slam titles last year, Valentova has been officially transitioning to the pros over the past year.
She broke into the Top 100 between July and August after scoring several upsets over higher-ranked opponents in various WTA tournaments.
Like Eala, she also reached the round of 64 in the most recent grand slam, the US Open.
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