CONTINUING her search for the greenest grass to grow on, Alex Eala is set to compete in her third grass-court tournament of the season at the WTA500 Berlin Tennis Open from June 15 to 21.
The 33rd-ranked Filipina received a wildcard entry to the prestigious event, joining a stacked field that includes world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 2 Elena Rybakina, No. 4 Jessica Pegula, No. 5 Amanda Anisimova, and several other top-ranked stars.
READ: Alex Eala falls to pal Iva Jovic yet again at Queen's Club
The Berlin campaign comes on the heels of Eala's Round of 16 finish at the HSBC Championships in London, where she fell to close friend Iva Jovic, 6-2, 6-1, ending her six-match winning streak on grass. Before that, she captured the WTA125 Birmingham Classic title, her second trophy at that level and first career title on the surface.
As the 21-year-old continues cultivating her game ahead of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships — where she is expected to make her second straight appearance in the Grand Slam — Eala now takes her momentum to Berlin.
Familiar foe
Standing in her way in the opening round is a familiar foe in Croatia's Donna Vekic, fondly dubbed Manila's "adopted tita" following her memorable appearance at the WTA125 Philippine Women's Open. Eala defeated Vekic in their lone previous meeting, rallying for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory in Auckland last January.
The winner of the match will advance to the Round of 16 and face second seed Elena Rybakina, who received a first-round bye.
Vekic, a former world No. 17, will be entering Berlin fresh off the HSBC Championships, where she remained alive to face Emma Raducanu in the final this Sunday night (Manila time).
The schedule for Eala and Vekic's first-round clash has yet to be announced.
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