THE US Open draw did not smile on Alex Eala.
The Filipina tennis star drew Denmark’s formidable Clara Tauson for the first round on Monday, and the Filipina is expected to have her hands full battling the world’s No. 15, seeded 14th at the Open.
Tauson isn’t the ideal first-round opponent for the 20-year-old Eala, ranked No. 70 in the world, who has had difficult first-round draws in two other grand slams she played, which she lost both times.
READ Alex Eala duels world No. 15 in US Open main draw debut
At the French Open, she was beaten by Emiliana Arango, 0-6, 6-2, 6-3, and at Wimbledon, by Barbara Krejikova, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. The consolation in both tournaments is that she forced a deciding third set in each match.
With the US Open, here’s the nice part. Should Eala lose in the very first round, it won’t be total heartbreak. She goes home relatively richer. First-round losers at the US Open receive $110,000 each, which amounts to more than 6 million in Philippine currency.
For the record, second-round losers bring home a prize of $154,000; third-round losers get $237,000. The US Open winner gets $5 million, the same prize for both men and women.
Should Eala survive Tauson, she is likely to meet Spain’s Cristina Bucsa in the second round. The Spaniard is scheduled to meet a qualifier in the first round whom she is expected to defeat.
If Eala and Busca both reach the second round, Eala has a strong chance of winning. The Spaniard, ranked No. 93, will also face a qualifier, but she has reached the second round only once in four US Opens.
If Eala continues to advance, she may go up against Elise Mertens of Belgium in the third round. Though Mertens, 29, is a doubles specialist, having won Wimbledon this year with partner Veronika Kudermetova, she is also a formidable singles player. She has reached the quarterfinals of the US Open twice, and advanced to the fourth round last year.
But first, Tauson. Against her, Eala may have to be more consistent, speedier, and hitting those balls harder. She will also need more spice in her serves.
Tauson is not your ordinary tennis player. At 29, the Dane, like 20-year-old Eala, recently beat former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek and world No. 5 Madison Keys in Montreal during a WTA 1000 event.
Eala also achieved a similar, over-the-top feat during the Miami Open in March, where she reached the semifinals, finally losing to world No. 4 Jessica Pegula but only after beating Keys, Swiatek, and another major winner, Jelena Ostapenko.
Eala, however, enters the US Open under not very ideal circumstances. She failed to prepare properly for the Open, after withdrawing from the Cincinnati Open where all top players, male and female, competed to sharpen their game for the sport’s last major.
The Filipina was forced to withdraw following a shoulder injury that kept her out of action for two weeks. She went back to Spain and, after getting better, trained at the familiar grounds of the Rafa Nadal Academy, which she has called home since she was 13.
Hopefully, her stride is back, her swing normal, and her mood upbeat. The country wishes her well.
Let’s go, Alex.
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