TO open her campaign at the WTA 250 Nottingham Open in Great Britain, Alex Eala will face a tough test against Polish star Magda Linette.
Eala, ranked No. 77, enters her third grass-court main draw after surviving two qualifying rounds earlier this week.
She is set to face Linette on Tuesday at 6:00 PM, Manila time, in the Round of 32.
The 20-year-old Filipina is seeking revenge against the 33-year-old Linette, currently ranked No. 31 in the world, who defeated her earlier this year in Abu Dhabi, 7-6(4), 6-1.
Linette owns three singles and three doubles titles and is coming off a Round of 32 exit at the WTA 250 Libéma Open, where she lost to Bernarda Pera of the United States.
Eala, for her part, is riding momentum after two hard-fought wins in the qualifiers—beating Romania’s Anca Todoni, 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3, on Sunday, and overcoming France’s Varvara Gracheva, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, on Saturday.
These came after a quarterfinals exit at the Ilkley Open last week, where she fell to Canada’s Rebecca Marino, 6-1, 0-6, 6-7(4).
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