MUCH as it marks Alex Eala’s second clay-court tournament of the season, Stuttgart is also set to feature a Filipina link between her and Leylah Fernandez in the opening round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
The draw, released late Saturday night, pits the two left-handers against each other in the round of 32 — their first-ever meeting on tour.
Fernandez, 23, currently ranked No. 25 in the world, carries Filipino roots through her mother. She also once climbed as high as 13th in the rankings.
Eala, 20, sits at No. 46 and continues to build momentum in her transition to the Euro clay swing.
READ: Eala joins Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff in Stuttgart showpiece
Both players head to Germany coming off early exits. Fernandez bowed to Diana Shnaider in the round of 16 of the Charleston Open, while Eala absorbed a second-round loss to Jelena Ostapenko at the Linz Open, where she had her first clay outing of the year.
Stuttgart is stacked
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix field remains stacked despite the withdrawal of world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka due to injury, elevating second-ranked Elena Rybakina as the top seed.
She headlines a loaded top half draw that also includes No. 4 Iga Swiatek, alongside Laura Siegemund and Ostapenko.
Awaiting the winner of the Eala-Fernandez clash is fifth seed Jasmine Paolini or a qualifier.
The match has yet to be scheduled, with the tournament set to run from April 13 to 19.
This is Eala's 10th tournament of the season. Prior to the surface shift, she logged a busy hardcourt stretch with appearances in Auckland, Australia, Manila, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Dubai, Indian Wells, and the Miami Open.
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